


BelleAmant's Inktober 2019

by BelleAmant



Category: Miraculous Ladybug, Yandere Simulator (Video Game)
Genre: (small one), A bit of each fandom, Day 22 has a Miracle Queen Spoiler!, I just wanted to be included in Inktober not gonna lie, Random blurbs, adrienette - Freeform, lilanette, ninette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2020-11-09 09:08:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 23,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20850944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BelleAmant/pseuds/BelleAmant
Summary: I just wanted to hang out with the cool kids and write some Inktober drabbles...





	1. Day One: Ring

Day One: Ring

Rings have always been symbolic to Adrien Agreste. That’s always been true, since the moment the blond was born. It’s what they symbolize to him, that’s what changes. Each ring is different, each holds a new story. 

The first was his mother’s ring. To Adrien, her ring was happiness. It meant that love was in his home, that love was there to receive and to give freely. To Adrien, her ring meant everything.

Then everything was taken from him, and he was alone. He was lost. He was trapped in despair and sadness.

His father’s ring was cold. It was pristine and perfect. No matter how closely Adrien looked (and  _ mon Dieu, _ did he look), there was never so much as a scratch nor a smudge on the metal. It was perfect, and cold, and isolating, much like the wearer.

It felt like a facade, and so Adrien put one up to match. He played the perfect child.

No tears could fall.

No flaws could show.

No cracks in his happy persona.

The ring of the Cat meant freedom. It meant a break from his persona, a break from long days of hiding in a shell of who he truly was. It was a chance to experience the world he was hidden from for so long.

The power of destruction freed him, and it brought him even more.

The ring meant meeting the love of his life, Ladybug. It meant adventure and danger and chaos and joy. It meant destruction and defeat and worries and victory. It meant everything Adrien could fear and everything he could hope for.

It meant losing his father. It meant watching that ring crack, watching his father’s perfect poise dropping as Hawkmoth’s transformation did. It meant destroying one ring with another.

But then the current ring came. And with the current ring, Adrien found a new meaning. He found belonging. He found family, and acceptance. He found warmth, and love, and everything his mother’s ring had meant but  _ more _ , oh so much more. With the ring, he found love, in every imaginable way.

Yes, to Adrien Agreste, rings mean the world. With the jewelry, his life his faced ups and downs, good and bad, creation and destruction. Rings mean a lot to him.

And the wedding band on his ring? The black ring, given to him by his darling Princess? It means everything good and pure. Even with flaws, even with cracks and smudges, it has a perfection of its own.

Adrien wouldn’t want it any other way.


	2. Day Two: Mindless

Day Two: Mindless

Mindless. They’re all mindless, incompetent, idiotic  _ fools _ .

And they’re all in her way. 

She hates them. She hates each and every one of them. From that orange-haired tsundere to miss perfection, Ayano loathes them all.

And so, of course, she decides to get them out of her way, no matter what.

It’s for him, everything is for him, so she’ll move the  _ world _ if she has to.

She starts simple. A quick slit to the tsundere’s throat, hide the weapon, throw out the body. Quick, efficient, simple. Ayano could do it in her sleep.

Amai gets a quick push off of the roof and a forged suicide note. In days, the school believes the lies Ayano created. Gone is the cheerful, sweet girl, now everyone thinks that she was secretly a depressed psycho who was ready to kill others if she didn’t off herself. Everyone dismisses any suspicion instantly, eager to believe the words. Eager to feel safe. They’re like a flock of sheep, and Ayano herds them to reach her pasture.

The drama queen gets a fitting death. A fallen weight, one that just  _ happens _ to break when Kizana is on stage. Really, it’s tragic. What are the odds that the cord would just  ** _snap_ ** ?

And then it keeps going. Ayano keeps going. The motions are easy, the routines barely change as she plots each rival’s demise. Oko is framed for murder, the creepy girl’s name torn to shreds. Aso drowns, an unfortunate accident. She really shouldn’t have tried to stay underwater for so long, she should have known that she had limits. 

Really, Ayano could do this on autopilot and not get caught. It’s all so easy.

Surveillance of the school goes up, but it’s not a problem. It’s never a problem. Ayano evades the eyes of the Student Council and the Photography Club.

It’s a shame that Muja accidentally ingested poison instead of cough syrup, but she’s so clumsy that it’s clearly an accident.

Mida is the easiest yet. Ayano sends an anonymous report to the Guidance Counselor, nothing but a picture of the teacher getting  _ way _ too close to her Senpai. The teacher is removed effective immediately.

Ayano joins clubs. She pretends to care for the students who died, but people are becoming number. They’re accepting the losses, moving on. They’re in a continuous, mindless cycle. Ayano goes through her own cycle every week, passes another challenge.

Osoro gets expelled. Nobody is surprised. All Ayano had to do was get in a small fight, and claim the delinquents started it. It was the last straw. 

Hanako irks Ayano when she arrives. She tries to get a promise out of Senpai, one that means he’ll never date. Ayano sees red with the words.

Hanako ends up in her basement. She becomes a part of Ayano’s routine. Get up, go to school, do homework, torture the girl in her basement, sleep. Repeat.

Miss perfection gets suspicious. She sends all of the council girls to keep an eye on her. Ayano can never get out of their sight, can never do anything. She can’t get close enough to lay a hand on Megami.

So she doesn’t.

Ayano makes a mind slave. She sets it free.

Down goes ten, and then down goes nine.

Finally, she has him. No one wants Taro, not now, not after everything. He’s all hers.

But he’s broken now. Ten weeks have shattered the boy, her boy. His eyes are blank like hers and he’s going through the motions. He’s a shell.

Ayano walks beside him, going through their routine. Together.

With him, she’s as mindless as the rest. 


	3. Day Three: School Uniform

Day Three: School Uniform

Ayano is starting to question her decisions. She's starting to wonder if maybe, just maybe, choosing to kill her rivals in order to win her Senpai's heart was a bad idea. Not because she feels guilty, or thinks she'll get caught. She’s too, well, heartless for the former, to be quite blunt, and her mother taught her so much that she doubts anyone will ever catch her in the act.

No, it's because now she has to burn  _ another  _ uniform. Blood stains and white shirts don't match, and there's no way Ayano can blame her drenched shirt on a bloody nose or mother nature. No, instead Ayano has to pitch the uniform.

Honestly, killing rivals is expensive. Maybe Ayano should have tried befriending them all instead, or matchmaking them with other students, or seducing them and then breaking their hearts, shattering any idea of love in their pretty little heads....nah.

Ayano goes home in her gym uniform, getting a few weird looks in the process. It doesn't matter. Nothing matters but him, anyways. 

Ayano buys five more uniforms. 

She has a feeling she'll need more later on.

She adds two more to the cart, then checks out of the site. 

But it's fine. She's willing to pay the price for love. She's willing to buy hundreds of uniforms, destroy hundreds of girls, if it means that she'll have him. She'd burn the entire world if he was cold, she'd do anything to keep him happy and safe.

So what's a few new clothes?

Absolutely nothing, just like the girls that stand in her way...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very short drabble, but a drabble nonetheless!


	4. Day Four: As the Opposite Gender

Day Four: As the Opposite Gender

Marin Dupain-Cheng was just a normal boy with a normal life. But there’s something about him that no one knows yet, cause he’s got a secret. And that secret?

He’s Scarlet Lord, the holder of the Ladybug Miraculous. He, alongside Chatte Noire, fight against the supervillain Hawkmoth in order to save the day.

It’s hard work, but Marin doesn’t step down from the challenge. With Chatte by his side with her awful puns and pick up lines, the duo is bound to defeat whatever comes their way.

But for now, Marin isn’t worried. He just heads to class, sitting with his childhood friend Nino, who’s trying (and failing) to flirt with Alya, the creator of the Scarlet Sighs Blog and one of the two new girls in the class.

The other? She walks into the classroom as if on cue, looking like perfection personified. Her blonde hair hangs loose behind her back, framing her in a golden light, and Marin can’t help but sigh.

“Hey, Alya! Nino, how was your weekend? And Marin, did you finish your current design? It was a shirt, right?” Adrienne asks, smiling sweetly as she moves past Marin to sit beside Alya.

“I shirt made- ugh, I mean, I made shirt! I made it, yes. How you are, Adrienne?” Marin flushes red, and can see how Nino stifles his laughter beside him.

‘ _ Jerk _ .’

“I’m good. A bit tired, my father scheduled shoots that lasted all weekend, but I'm always happy to see my friends.” Adrienne beams, twisting the ring on her finger thoughtlessly.

Marin nearly melts at the sight of that smile. God, she’s adorable. Marin wishes that he could be as good with words as Chatte, she always knows what to say to make him feel better, and seems to have a never ending fountain of compliments stored inside of her heart.

Marin perks up. That’s it! He’ll ask Chatte tonight during their patrol for flirting tips. After all, she must be a natural flirt if she’s constantly able to joke around with Scarlet Lord. Why else would she be so playful with her words?

With the plan in mind, the day seems to fly by. Nino doesn’t know where the sudden excitement came from, but he’s happy that his bro is happy.

Scarlet Lord is half an hour early to patrol, but luckily, so is Chatte. Scarlet beams at his kitten before asking, “Hey, Chatte? What are your best pickup lines?”

Chatte giggles. “Why, my lord! I thought you’d never ask. But may I ask why you want to hear them now?”

Scarlet blushes, well, scarlet. “Well, Chatte, there’s this girl at my school.” He misses the way Chatte’s faux ears droop, to encaptured in his thoughts. “And she’s, well, wonderful. But every single time I see her, I can’t speak! It’s awful!” He pouts.

“So you want me to tell you my best lines, so you can flirt with her?” Chatte asks, and Scarlet nods fervently.

“Please! If I learn from you, then I’m  _ bound _ to be alright.” 

The words make Chatte blush, and she smiles, pushing away her heartache. “Alright, if you really want to woo her, my lord, you need to use the best ones I have…”

~~~~~

Marin is radiating confidence when he walks into school the next morning. After a few tips and one liners from Chatte Noire, he’s ready. The two also realized that, if Marin only gets tongue tied around his crush, he should just...pretend that he’s talking to someone else. The idea sounds silly, but Marin is willing to give anything a shot for love.

So Marin is keeping his partner at the front of his mind as he heads over to the love of his life.

“Hey, Adrienne,” Marin calls out, and Adrienne looks up in surprise. Alya blinks at the interruption, then smirks, expecting Marin to start stuttering like usual.

But thinking of his partner, of the girl who trusts him with her life and he with her, helps him feel calm and in control of the situation. Feeling like the definition of relaxed, Marin asks, “Are you the sun? Because you’re bright, the light of my life, and outshine everyone in this room.”

He...didn’t expect the words to be so effective, to be quite honest. But Adrienne blushes after he says it, and even Alya and Nino seem impressed. So Marin continues on.

“Wait, I must be wrong. You can’t be real, because perfection doesn’t exist, right?”

Adrienne opens her mouth, but no words come out. So Marin uses Chatte’s final line.

“Or perhaps you’re a cat? In that case, can you get my tongue? Because being around you makes me purr-fectly content to tell the world how meow-velous you are.”

Adrienne seems to freeze, and Marin wonders if it was too much. Oh god, what if she hates him now? Then they won’t be friends, and he’ll never be able to ask her out on a date, and he’ll grow up alone and afraid of rejection and never have his three kids and the hamster he’s wanted for so l-

Suddenly, Adrienne lunges forward and kisses him. Marin squeaks, then melts into the kiss, eyes slipping shut. Faintly, he thinks he can hear Nino cheering, but he’s too distracted by his crush’s lips on his. 

Then Adrienne leans back, and Marin opens his eyes. Smirking, she whispers, “I told you my lines worked, my lord.”

_ Chatte?!? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved writing this one, and I hope you enjoy it, too!


	5. Day Five: Build

Day Five: Build

If being kind builds friendships, and having friends makes connections and sets a foundation to life, then what else can a good person create?

To Lila Rossi, the answer is nothing. Because good people don’t use their friends, they don’t use the connections that they build. They deem the act immoral, and they choose to ignore the opportunities they create.

To Lila Rossi, good people are fools. So she doesn’t hesitate to use people for her benefit. But people only give their connections to those that they like, so Lila pretends. She wows her class with tall tales and ‘little’ white lies. And, at first, it works like a charm. She’s wooed her class like the protagonist of a romance novel, and she knows that she can reach her goals with ease.

Her current goal, of course, being Adrien Agreste. Not only is he handsome, but he’s the son of Gabriel Agreste. Choosing him to be her boyfriend would only mean furthering her connections. Once she has those, she’ll be able to spread her roots much more easily, and soon she’ll have all of Paris,  _ no _ , all of Europe in love with her. And after she becomes a sensation here, she’ll become a worldwide phenomenon. 

There is only one problem. And that is the fact that Marinette Dupain-Cheng is in her class. Normally, this would be no problem. The girl is sweet as can be, a little ray of pure compassion and empathy. Lila should, in theory, be able to play this girl like a flute, and have the bluenette in awe of her imaginary travels and accomplishments. 

But Marinette, somehow, knows that Lila has not done any of these things. And her stupidly caring heart tells her to out Lila, because it’s “cruel to lie to my friends! You’re going to hurt them by lying and making empty promises!”

Lila laughed then, and even now she can’t help but be amused. Because Marinette can only get in her own way. After all, her best friend, Alya, was happy enough to let Lila know about a certain  _ crush _ of Marinette’s.

Adrien. Her connections. She wants Adrien, but not in the same way. Because Marinette doesn’t care about him being a model, she likes how kind he is. Ugh. Lila only sees a pushover, but maybe that’s why Marinette is the kind one and not her. 

Lila does see how the class adores the idea of the bluenette and blond getting together, however. She sees how they coo whenever something cute happens (Lila is still annoyed about Startrain, where Alya refused to let Lila interrupt their little nap). She’s all too aware of how the girls plan strategies so that Marinette has time to confess, and they all resolve to help again the next time when Marinette inevitably fails. She sees how the boys always reposition themselves when Marinette gets near, letting Adrien be closest.

And yet Adrien thinks that she is just a friend. It’s almost laughable, seeing how hard the class tries to help Marinette, only for her to fail time and time again. Almost, because Marinette has all of these friends and could find greater connections, and yet doesn’t.

Huh...thinking of it, Lila realizes that Marinette  _ does _ have connections. She has Clara Nightingale, and Jagged Stone...and hasn’t she impressed Gabriel Agreste before? That’s more than Adrien has done, from what Lila’s heard Nino saying. She’s a promising fashion designer who’s bound to have her name heard in the near future...and she’s always happy to help out her friends.

She’s a shining star above Adrien, that’s for sure. And with the increased acceptance of the LGBTQ community, nothing could hold them back. Not even Lila’s feelings (after all, Marinette  _ is _ beautiful, even if she is overwhelmingly kind).

But then there’s Marinette’s feelings. And she doesn’t like Lila, now does she? No, because Lila is a liar and Marinette hates liars.

So maybe it’s time that Lila ‘changes’ that.

After all, people like it when she says what they want to hear. And if Marinette wants Lila to be honest?

Well, she’ll say she’s going to be honest, and then, later, she’ll talk to Marinette of how ‘jealous’ she was of Marinette’s friends.

And if this turns into Lila admitting that she’s in love with Marinette, later down the line?

Well, Marinette will like that too, won’t she now?

Smirking, Lila steps into the school, ready to build her greatest connection ever. And if this goes well, she won’t have to worry ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always wanted to write a lilanette fic, so here's a drabble to satiate me for now! :D


	6. Day Six: Husky

Day Six: Husky

If Lila is anything, she's a fox. She's cunning and swift, able to out think her opponents and trick them with their own faults. She's manipulative, and yet people like her.

She's manipulative, and that's  _ why  _ people like her. Because she uses their values, their interests, against them. She becomes what they want, and she gets what she wants. And if they somehow learn of her fox like nature, she breaks them down just as easily.

Marinette, however, is a husky. Everyone sees her clearly for what she is: cute, caring, and hardworking. But less people see how protective she is over those she loves.

Lila believes that a husky is the perfect guard for a fox. A kind yet righteous guardian, one to protect her if she's caught, and sway people into her grasp. Yes, a husky is perfect.

Lila works swiftly, yet patiently. She corners Marinette one day, and with guilty eyes and a pleading voice, the husky's guard is down. Marinette's heart isn't open to Lila, not yet, but she believes Lila. She believes that Lila wants to change, that Lila will stop lying.

And Lila does. She starts going to school every single day. Her 'projects' stop, the Italian too focused on school. Marinette is proud, her classmates think no less of her. After all, Lila is just a sweet girl, isn't she? It's not her fault that she can't save orphans or stop pollution right now, she has to focus on herself for once.

The fox smirks when the husky smiles at her, approving of her change.

And then she starts to play. Little compliments to the husky, a few side comments of how jealous she was of Marinette because of how ‘perfect’ she is- to Lila, at least. To the rest of the class, she plays helpless. She sighs wistfully, she gazes at Marinette for a tad too long, makes a few offhand remarks about how pretty Marinette is.

The class picks up quickly. Some are on her side, glad that  _ someone else  _ likes their beloved husky. Some worry for her, knowing of Marinette's crush on Adrien. But Lila breaks that down meticulously, all while playing the role of a gazelle- innocent and sweet, just like Mari wants.

It only takes a few weeks to ruin the crush. Adrien isn't what Mari wants, right? She doesn't need someone who wouldn't stand up for her, or someone who ignores the beauty and perfection before him. No, Mari deserves better. Mari deserves someone who will support her and raise her up.

Slowly, the husky falls prey to the fox. She believes Lila, she trusts in Lila. She protects Lila against Chloe, and when Adrien makes a small remark about how Lila is ruining their friendship, the husky goes off.

It's satisfying, seeing how Marinette tears down Adrien, yelling at him for assuming that Lila is manipulating her, that Lila hasn't changed. Because didn't *Adrien* believe Lila could be better? Didn't he say so in the first place? Why is he changing his mind?

Lila knows why. He's jealous. He may not realize it, but he fell for the husky. Well, he can't have her.

In the midst of Marinette complaining about Adrien later that day, Lila kisses Mari. She apologizes after, but Mari interrupts her with another kiss.

The next day, the husky and fox walk into school together, the perfect picture of a happy couple. And Marinette is a blushing, overjoyed mess. 

Lila feels like she's won, because she has.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A continuation from Day Five: Build! <3


	7. Day Seven: Enchanted & With an Animal

Day Seven: Enchanted & With an Animal

Ayano is many things. A witch? Yes. A recluse who lives in the woods with nobody for company except a red snake she calls Info-chan? Of course. A girl who is hopelessly in love with the young lord Taro Yamada, the man whose friends are constantly coming to her place for tea? Most definitely.

But she is not a fool. And she knows that Taro would never leave his betrothed, Uekiya, for her. It would be dishonorable, and the lord couldn't risk it. He wouldn't, not now, not when he is so easily swayed by fear.

So she devises a solution. A simple answer, really: a love potion. With it, Taro's only desire will be to love her. (It does not work, however, if the subject who drinks it already loves the person they next lay their eyes on. Ayano has to keep Taro by her when she gives it to him.)

It takes time, patience, and dedication. Luckily, Ayano has all three. While her work is interrupted from time to time by one of the eight boys who come to check on her, she manages to finish it in a fortnight. 

It's beautiful, a light pink liquid that bubbles and fizzes cheerfully. Ayano smiles, and fortune favors her, as Lord Yamada requests the young witch to join them for dinner. It seems that they want to create a more permanent contract with her- money for cures.

Ayano accepts the request, and three days later she heads into town.

The Yamada household is the largest, and their hospitality is great. In fact, all of Taro's closest companions live under the roof, so Ayano has the pleasure of greeting them and dining beside them. These young men, of course, are Osano, Amao, Kizano, Oko, Aso, Osoro, Megamo, and even the younger Yamada, Hanako. They all greet Ayano happily, and Ayano returns the sentiment. She is, however, distracted by the sight of Taro. His black eyes shine as he smiles at her, and the witch sighs dreamily, her formal demeanor fading away.

"Young lord Yamada," Ayano greets, curtsying slightly. Her coal black dress, her best one, flows around her with the movement. "I brought you a gift, in hopes that you feel more...invigorated, when it comes to your passions in life."

Taro smiles. "Thank you, Black Witch Ayano." His words are formal as he takes the vial, and Ayano blushes.

But her joy turns to fear as he fumbles with the vial and drops it. Wordlessly, she can only stare at it as it hits the table and ricochets off of it, crashing as it lands among Taro's eight friends. The potion hits all eight, and Ayano cringes back in fear when they all look to her.

But nothing happens. They all seem to wait for an effect, some with amusement, others with fear, then shrug and return to their conversations.

But it should've worked. Ayano  _ knows _ the potion works...unless the subject was already in love with the person they see.

Blushing, Ayano realizes what this means. 

Perhaps...perhaps she should change targets. The boys  _ are _ rather enchanting, and eight is better than one, is it not?


	8. Day Eight: Frail

Day Eight: Frail

He’s always been this way. For as long as he can remember, he’s always been so...clumsy. Sick. Klutzy. 

He’s a mess. He can’t control it, his body has its own mind and it never tells him what it’s thinking. It hurts, it’s awful, it doesn’t cooperate with him. He’s just along for the ride, a frail shell surrounding him, hopes and fears forgotten in illness.

He’s never truly had a choice, has he?

But he tries. He tries to find a way to live, tries to be alive when he knows he’ll die early. Because how can’t he know this? How could he give up? He knows something is wrong with him. Nobody goes to the nurse as often as he does, nobody trips and falls and breaks as easily as he does. Nobody is as shattered as him.

And then he finds that ‘nobody.’ She has plain black eyes and a soulless stare. She has a killer gaze and matching hands. They’re red sometimes, she blames it on paint.

It’s never paint. He knows this, but she doesn’t care, because what can he do?

He can fall. He can fall, because while she’s as broken, as messed up as he is (watching her drag a body, he realizes she’s worse), yet she stands. She doesn’t falter, doesn’t hesitate. She lives, she breathes, even as she lacks life in her eyes. 

She stands, and he falls for her.

And so he rises too, and sets out to prove himself. Because he wants to be worth her dedication, he wants to be a reason for her, much like she’s a reason for him.

Because she’s frail like he is, and together, they can be whole.

Yes, Otohiko will have her. He will have his Ayano. 


	9. Day Nine: Swing and Cosplaying as Another Character

Day Nine: Swing & Cosplaying as Another Character

Marinette has to say, she definitely loves her costume. The bell? Adorable. A little tacky, oui, but still adorable.

Fixing the black mask to her face with glue, Marinette asks, "And you're *sure* no one will realize I was Lady Noire, Tikki?"

The little goddess giggles from beside her plate of cookies. "Of course not, Marinette. After all, you're dressed as Chat Noir, not Lady Noire. And besides, the magic of the Miraculous would protect you."

The explanation doesn't really make sense, but neither does magical bug villains, so Marinette lets herself be calmed. She's rather proud of her cosplay, honestly. It'd taken her weeks, but the details are spot on. 

Pinning the second cat ear to her hair, which is tousled up in honor of her chaton, Marinette says, "Alright, Tikki, let's go to class!"

Racing out of her home, Marinette feels excitement growing within her. When another class rep had suggested a Heroes of Paris Appreciation day, where the school would dress up and act in honor of them, Marinette had happily backed it up. She looks forward to seeing all of the Chats, Rena Rouges, Carapaces, and perhaps a few Queen Bees to roam the halls.

But as she steps into the courtyard, Marinette is left seeing spots. Everyone, everywhere, is Ladybug. Even her teacher, Miss Bustier, is adorned in  _ her _ signature red and black. Marinette can't believe it. Where's the representation for her temporary heroes? And what about her beloved partner, her chaton?

Heck, even Alya wears a Ladybug costume! While Marinette didn't expect her to wear Rena Rouge's design (and had prayed that her best friend would know better than to wear her secret identity's suit in public), she had assumed the Fox and Turtle duo would dress as each other.

Well, it looks like they  _ did  _ go with a duo theme, just the wrong pair. Nino lights up when he sees her, and moves the cat-eared headphones down to his neck as he makes his way to her. 

"Nette! Thank God, little dude! I thought I'd be the only cat here." Nino sighs. "Poor guy needs more attention. He does so much for Paris."

Marinette huffs, taking the chance to vent some of her frustration. "I know! I mean, how many times has Chat protected Ladybug or saved civilians? How often does he  _ die _ to protect her, so she can reverse the damage? How often does he work his tail off- and then everyone just praises Ladybug?"

Marinette takes a breath, then prepares to rant about the temporary heroes, too. After all, they deserve attention too (and she wants to compliment her friends). She's cut off by the love of her life.

"Wow. I didn't know Chat Noir meant so much to you," Adrien says as he walks into the room. "Have you met him?"

Marinette blushes, taking in the sight of Adrien in her colors. He's wearing her spots and he looks so adorable and he's swinging around a plastic yoyo and-

And oddly familiar. His hair is pulled into tiny pigtails, which really don't stay in well, but besides that he kind of reminds her of…

"Met him?" Alya says, cutting off Marinette's thoughts. "Remember Evillustrator? He was protecting her! Marinette has run into him a few other times, and is, like, his biggest fan!" She chuckles. "If I didn't know better, I'd think my girl's heart belonged to Chat Noir."

Marinette cringes as Alya shouts the words. Maybe she shouldn’t have told Alya about that Akuma.

"Oh, really?" Lila asks.

Yeah, she definitely shouldn't have.

Lila walks up, wearing a Rena Rouge design. (Fitting.) Smiling sweetly, she says, "You know, since Ladybug and I are best friends, I'm sure we could set you up with Chat. I know I wouldn't want to pass up an opportunity to date a hero." She giggles, as if it's a joke.

Marinette flushes. "Well, Lila, thanks, but I don't like Chat Noir like that."

"You don't?" Adrien asks, and the confusion is so clear that Marinette feels stunned.

"N-no?"

"But didn't you confess to him?"

"What?!" Alya shouts. "Girl, when was  _ this _ ?"

Marinette freezes. How could Adren know about the 'confession'? The only people who knew were her maman, papa....and Chat Noir.

Wordlessly, Marinette steps up to Adrien and takes his hand. She pulls him out of the class and to the locker room.

"Marinette?" Adrien asks, voice concerned. "Are you okay?"

Once she's sure they're alone, Marinette reaches up and takes the elastics out of Adrien's hair. She messes it up, then steps back.

Everything clicks into place.

"Well, Mister Bug," Marinette starts dryly, and Adrien stiffens, "good to know one of Paris's protectors likes to spend his time messing around with his friend."

Smiling awkwardly, Adrien shrugs and says, "Surprise, Princess?"

Marinette can't decide if she wants to kiss the boy or slap him.

She does both, because why not at this point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What can I say? I'm a sucker for dumb identity reveals.


	10. Day Ten: Pattern

Day Ten: Pattern

Sometimes patterns can be good. Sometimes patterns are exactly what are needed in a moment, and can be used efficiently. Sometimes, patterns are nice, pleasant, and soothing.

But Raibaru Fumetsu is done with patterns. She’s done with having the same routine, over and over and over again. She’s changing it up, dropping her repetitive cycle that she calls  _ life _ and turning to spontaneity and  _ fun _ .

While Raibaru loves Martial Arts, she also wants a change in her life. She wants to spend mornings baking cute treats. She wants to sunbathe by the pool at lunch. She wants to paint the cherry tree on the hill as the sun sets. She wants more than her monotonous life of school, leading her club, and going home to do homework. She wants to be sporadic, to explore all of her interests.

So when Budo Masuta challenges her, she’s excited to find that she loses. And then she, in a moment of relief, gives up the title of Club Leader, and leaves. She trusts him to carry on, he was a phenomenal student.

She ends up befriending a girl named Osana Najimi. Osana is blunt and rude and insults people when she’s scared- and yet the two become best friends. They become close, to the point of wearing matching accessories. They do everything together. They talk about anything that comes to mind.

_ Anything _ includes Osana’s crush on Taro Yamada, her neighbor. To be honest, Raibaru doesn’t see what is so special about the boy (he can’t even defend himself), but Osana seems happy so Raibaru approves. She encourages Osana to ask Taro out under the confession tree once the break is over.

And when the new school year starts, Osana and Raibaru do their best to find time for the future couple. Raibaru and Osana spend hours planning cute things for Osana to do with Taro. It’s fun, it’s silly, and it’s a pointless waste of time, and yet Raibaru enjoys it, because halfway through a recap of their morning conversation they’ll get off track and it’s  _ exactly _ how Raibaru wants to live. She wants random, she wants disorder.

And then she meets the girl who lives life blankly. She meets the walking husk who lives but doesn’t seem to be alive, who goes through the motions without passion or purpose.

Yes, Raibaru Fumetsu meets Ayano Aishi, the girl who sits right beside her. 

Suddenly, Raibaru finds her day has a schedule. She goes through the motions of each day, but this time, it’s because she’s curious, and because she wants to.

She follows Ayano with her eyes. Never more than her eyes, because she’d never ditch Osana for her  _ curiosity _ . So, in the mornings of the first week of school, while waiting with Osana for Taro’s arrival, Raibaru listens to Osana but watches Ayano as she arrives. Ayano moves oddly, a bit too rhythmatic to be right. She keeps her eyes trained on her phone, swiping the screen. The phone is off.

‘ _ She could be an introvert, _ ’ Raibaru reasons with herself, before turning back to Osana. 

She doesn’t know why she cares.

At lunch on Tuesday, Raibaru sits beside Osana at the fountain. Osana is silent, reading her book. Raibaru enjoys the quiet, a change from their normal chatter. 

She’s surprised when she notices Ayano watching them from behind a tree. She doesn’t speak, doesn’t ruin the silence, she just watches the black haired girl. When the bell rings, Ayano slips away before Osana looks up. Raibaru doesn’t say anything, and the two head back to class.

She doesn’t know why she doesn’t mention it.

So her days become a pattern. She talks to Osana, she watches Ayano, and she never points out the oddities in the girl. And as Wednesday and Thursday pass, Raibaru learns.

Ayano is quiet. She doesn’t speak up much, but when she does, her words are direct. Whenever their teacher calls on her, her soft voice holds the correct answer. 

Ayano is evasive. She slips in and out of rooms, passing through crowds without anyone noticing that she was there. You have to focus on her directly to notice, or she’s gone in the blink of an eye. Her footsteps are as quiet as her voice.

Ayano is observant and analytical. Raibaru can see how Ayano watches, how she calculates every move that she makes. She sees how the girl only speaks up  _ if _ she’s noticed (or, at least, if she realizes that she’s noticed, it seems). She sees how Ayano never speaks badly of anything, only positively. She sees how Ayano finds ways to agree with whoever she’s talking to.

Raibaru wonders if Ayano is afraid of what people think. She wonders why it matters to her.

She wonders if Ayano would want to be her friend. She doesn’t know why she’s so drawn to Ayano.

She wonders-

She knows. 

Friday comes. Osana puts a note in Taro’s locker. Restless, the two head up to the confession tree. Raibaru paints with the Art Club while Osana paces around the trunk of the tree, muttering under her breath.

When Taro comes, so does Ayano. The Art Club students pack up and go, Raibaru follows wordlessly. 

She stops when she’s beside Ayano.

Behind her, Osana starts to speak.

“Hey!” Raibaru greets sweetly. Ayano’s gaze breaks, eyes slowly moving to look at her. “You’re Ayano, right?”

Ayano tears her eyes away. “Yes.”

“It’s nice to finally talk to you. I’ve been seeing you around, and I wanted to say hi, but you seemed so focused I didn’t want to distract you.” Raibaru giggles when Ayano’s eyes snap back to hers, wide and unfocused. “What  _ were _ you looking for, anyways? You sure did follow Osana and I around a lot.”

Ayano’s breathing picks up, just a bit, but Raibaru notices. 

“You- you saw me?” Ayano whispers, voice soft and filled with  _ something _ that Raibaru hasn’t heard before in the girl’s voice. 

“Yep.” Raibaru steps closer, and wonders. “Were you scared? I’ve never really seen you around before, are you lonely? Because trust me, Osana isn’t someone to be afraid of! We’re happy to be your friends if that’s what you want.”

Her heart does reach for the smaller girl. Because Ayano always seems so scared, so withdrawn.

Ayano blushes for some reason. Probably embarrassment. Raibaru  _ did _ just ask Ayano why she’s been following her.

“No, I was...intrigued.”

Raibaru feels confused. Ayano notices, and after a few seconds, speaks again.

“At first, it was...it was because I liked  _ him _ .” Her eyes look back to the tree. Raibaru can hear the end of Osana’s confession. “But then I…I saw you. I see you.” Ayano’s blush deepens, and Raibaru feels her own cheeks heat up. “And I...you’re different. And I stopped following Osana’s movements to follow yours. To see. To understand.”

Raibaru raises a hand. She lifts Ayano’s head slightly. “I guess we’re the same then, huh? Because I wanted to understand you, too. I’ve been wondering about you.”

Ayano fidgets, and it’s the most uncalculated thing the girl has done. For some reason, it makes Raibaru proud, knowing that she brought that genuity out of the girl. “And...and what are you wondering now?” She looks up, apprehensive. Her eyes are wide and they shine like never before, and Raibaru’s breath catches.

“I’m wondering...I’m wondering if I can kiss you.”

Wordless, like usual, Ayano nods.

And when their lips touch, it’s the most  _ wonder _ ful feeling in the world. And when their lips part, it feels like another pattern breaks.

Because Raibaru won’t just be watching Ayano anymore, and Ayano won’t just follow.

No, they’ll create a new pattern. Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this got really gay. It was originally going to be Raibaru breaking her pattern and then done, but I...had an idea. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy! I really like this pairing, actually!


	11. Day Eleven: As a Kid

Day Eleven: As a Kid

Nino wanted to marry her the day they met, that much he knows for certain. 

Maybe it was the pretty blue hair she had, and shining eyes to match. Heaven knows that Nino loved blue as a kid, still does to this day. He could have been drawn to her because she was his favorite color. 

Or maybe it was the way she smelled like cookies, like an inviting home with people that wanted to shower him in baked goods. Nino had the sweet tooth the size of his little five year old body, he was constantly searching for treats.

But no, Nino knows what it was. Because it’s the same reason he falls for her every single day. 

It’s her smile. It’s her neverending kindness and the sweetness that she holds within her and gives to everyone without hesitation. It’s the way she turned to him, macaron halfway to her lips, when she beamed and asked, “Hi! Do you want one?” And pulled one out of her coat pocket without thinking, already shoving it into his hands. 

Yes, Nino was stricken by that smile from that pretty bakery bluenette, and the feeling never left. Not as he grew older, not as they became classmates and better friends. Not as she made him a red hat, the hat that only he is allowed to touch because  _ his _ Nette made it for him. 

It never faded, that childhood crush. And yet Nino never acted on it. Because then Adrien joined the class, and suddenly Nette was flustered and stumbling and freaking out over Nino’s newest bro. 

It hurt. Especially when Adrien found out that Nino liked Nette. And the blond tried to set them up, but Nino was scared and Nette was so damn considerate that she wouldn’t leave Adrien behind, not knowing that he was hidden behind a bush and telling Nino what to say.

He screwed up, and accidentally told his Nette that  _ Adrien _ liked her, not him. And she blushed, and her gasp was one of awe and a smile grew on her face-

He knew. He knew he couldn’t backtrack, or tell her the truth. He couldn’t get in the way of her happiness. 

And then Animan happened. And he and Alya realized that they had a lot in common. So they decided to date. And it was fun, but a bit of his heart still belonged to Nette.

One day, something changed. Nette came into school, glaring and cold. Adrien came following, and he was flirting with Nette and even asked her out.

And Marinette rejected him. 

To say he was shocked would be an understatement. To say the whole class was shocked would be selling it short. Everyone was baffled by the sudden turn of events, but Marinette made no move to explain. Adrien seemed appalled, downright offended by the rejection, and sulked to his seat. 

Everything changed after that. Adrien, day after day, kept trying to woo her. Alya joined his side, encouraging him even as Marinette shut each attempt down. Nino ended up becoming Nette’s confidant, listening to her as she ranted about how deceiving Adrien is...and yet, she’d never give the full story. Because whenever Nino tried to get specifics, she’d look so worried and frightened and admit that she didn’t want to ruin their friendship, she just wished Adrien would  _ stop _ .

Nino relayed the plea for Adrien to quit. Alya yelled, saying that Marinette couldn’t just backtrack on her feelings  _ now _ . She was clearly just nervous, or liked the chase. She’d come around. 

Adrien believed Alya’s words. Nino felt sick. 

“I really don’t think Nette likes this, Al-”

Alya cut him off with a huff. “She does, you just don’t know her like I do.”

Nino felt his eye twitch. Because if anyone knew his Nette, he did. And so he stayed silent, but Alya didn’t like that.

By the end of the day, he was single. He spent the weekend with Nette, complaining about the whole ordeal. They promised to protect each other.

The longer they hung out, the more Nino realized. He realized how she wasn’t really that clumsy, she was actually quite graceful. She moved like a dancer, swift and deliberate. Every step meant something, every stride held a hidden power. 

She was confident in her home. This was more than standing up to Chloé, this was Marinette knowing that she was who she was meant to be. She had an ease to her posture, a smile always dancing at the edges of her mouth, even when focused. 

She talked to herself a lot. Random comments, always asking if someone needed something. Nino walked in on her asking, “-want a jacket? It’s getting cold, I can make one!” And yet, no one was there but Nette. It was sweet and endearing. 

And the longer Nino learned about Nette, the more he noticed things about another bluenette he knows- Ladybug. Like how she stood with confidence, yet had moments where she faltered and just  _ breathed _ . Like how she muttered to herself while planning, eyes scanning the Parisian skyline as if calculating it, making it her own. Like how she was agile and flexible, yet had moments where she fell and stumbled on nothing.

And then he noticed how she grew closer to him the longer he talked to Nette. He noticed how she evaded Chat Noir’s advances every time, growing frustrated and upset. He noticed how she relied on him, on Carapace, most of the time.

And then, one day, she offered him a ring and said, “Nino Lahiffe, I present to you the ring of the Black Cat. Will you become my partner permanently, in order to save Paris with me?” And it was a question. She offered the power, but didn’t expect anything but a consideration.

He agreed, because that’s when he knew. This was his Nette, and if she needed a Chat Noir to save her, that’s  _ exactly  _ who he’d become.

The next day at school, Adrien cornered his Nette in the locker room. He hissed at her, actually  _ hissed _ , demanding his Miraculous back. 

Honestly, Nino should have realized, but he focused more on the disgust he felt for his former bro. So he’d slipped over, silent as a cat, and had placed a hand on Adrien’s shoulder.

“Hey, Adrien?” He asked calmly. “Just  _ what _ do you think you’re doing to my Nette?”

Adrien whipped around, eyes wide with anger. “ _ Your _ Nette? She’s mi-”

“She was never yours. She rejected you time and time again. Don’t lay your hands on her again.”

“Or what? What will you do?” Adrien stepped forwards, trying to intimidate Nino. Nino rubbed his finger on his new ring, calming himself.

“ _ He _ won’t do anything,” Marinette said, slipping around the blond to reach her closest friend. “But what would the press say if they find out I’m being harassed by Paris’s favorite model boy? What would your  _ father _ say?”

Adrien froze. “You- you wouldn’t.”

She frowned, still compassionate. “I don’t want to. I know how much school means to you. But I don’t love you, and you can’t force me to.” Slipping a hand into Nino’s, she tugged him out of the locker room.

Nino looked down at Nette with wide eyes. Then he blurted, “He was Chat?”

Nette sighed. “So you figured that out already?”

Nino smirked. “I’m not as oblivious as you, Nette.”

Nette snorted. “Sure, sure.” Then she asked, calmly, “By the way, what did you mean by ‘my Nette’?”

Nino blushed. “Oh, um, it’s just that, you know-”

“Want to go to the Tower tonight? There’s a great view at the top.” Marinette smiled, and Nino was gone.

“Anything for you, Nette.”

Yeah, he was a goner from the start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Give me that Ninette love <333


	12. Day Twelve: Dragon

Day Twelve: Dragon

Kagami assumed that she would be a normal girl. Well, that’s a lie, to be quite honest. To be accurate, Kagami assumed that she would live life calmly, going through her routine and following her mother’s wishes. She assumed that she would grow up as a fencer and a student, then move on to greater things as the days progressed.

She never expected  _ this _ . This, of course, being a superhero. 

Because  _ that _ was obvious. 

It sounds like a child’s dream. It was never hers, to be quite honest. She had more realistic dreams than that (she wanted to be a knight). More honorable dreams. 

But instead of being a valiant knight to protect a beautiful princess, Kagami becomes Ryuko, a mysterious superheroine who battles emotionally unstable, temporary villains who are focused on getting revenge and the Miraculi of Ladybug and Chat Noir. She becomes a hero with the help of Longg, the Dragon Kwami. She becomes the ruler of weather, tempering wind, water, and lightning with her sword. She becomes the elements, controlling the storm. She  _ is _ a storm, and not one to be reckoned with.

She does have a beautiful princess, however. Soon after becoming Ryuko, she had happened upon Marinette Dupain-Cheng during a patrol. The baker’s daughter was being followed by two men, and one of them reached for her purse. Ryuko leaped down from the rooftops, quickly grabbing the man and yanking him off of Marinette. 

By the time she was done with the first, Marinette had knocked out the second.

“Sorry, reflex,” Marinette apologized sheepishly, grinning awkwardly. 

Kagami was smitten. She’d always figured that she would be a knight, protecting a beautiful damsel (because honestly, who needed a man? Sure, boys could be cute, like Adrien, but  _ girls _ ) from harm. And yet here was Marinette, beautiful and brave, able to defend herself.

Kagami was just a simple sword lesbian dragon hero. So if, when Marinette offered ‘her warrior’ some macarons and cookies, she agreed to meet Marinette on the balcony, could she really be blamed?

Over the next few weeks, Kagami found herself transforming and going to Marinette’s. She never made excuses, even though she could claim that she was checking on Marinette. No, she wanted to know the bluenette. And Marinette liked her company. So they talked, and Kagami fell in love.

After two months of visiting, Ryuko and Marinette kissed. Marinette had initiated it, yet had stuttered and apologized for the advance. Ryuko kissed her into silence, and their relationship started that night. 

So perhaps Kagami isn’t the knight that defeats the dragon for her princess. Kagami found one better, where she is the knight, the dragon, and her princess is just as amazing.

And they’ll live happily ever after. 


	13. Day Thirteen: Ash

Day Thirteen: Ash

He didn’t mean to. He didn’t mean to he swears he-

He thinks he’s going to puke.

He does. Right on the ashes. Right on his-

He pukes again, looking away this time.

He didn’t mean to. He didn’t even think-

That’s the problem. He didn’t think, he just acted. He just said the phrase, spoke the words, and reached out. Reached out, letting himself be lead by his blind fury. He just, he just.

A flash of green light surrounds him, his transformation dropping. Plagg looks at him with saddened eyes.

“Kid, I had no clue,” Plagg says, floating over. “I’m sorry, kit.”

Plagg is  _ sorry _ . He’s not mad.

Fear lessens, and some relief fills him. But it’s not enough. 

“He was...he was…” Adrien can’t say it, can’t force the words out of his mouth. He glares at the pile of ashes on the floor. “He tormented Paris for  _ years _ . He nearly  _ killed  _ me dozens of times.”

“He’s gone now, Adrien, it’s fine.” Plagg tries to soothe Adrien, tries to help his kitten.

And he’s absolutely right. Hawkmoth is gone. Because Adrien saw him drop his transformation and  _ cataclysmed him _ . He reached out his glowing black hand and scratched him across the face, turning his body to ash. Turning his body to nothing but destroyed matter, leaving behind only a butterfly brooch that he and Ladybug had been trying to retrieve for years.

Adrien hears footsteps behind him, and Plagg hides quickly. He turns and sees Nathalie, who, for once, expresses something other than the professional calm demeanor that she used around him.

“Adrien? Where is your father?” Nathalie asks, and suddenly, Adrien sees the brooch on her. He doesn’t bother to hide his scowl.

“ _ Gone _ .”

Nathalie’s eyes widen. “What- what do you mean by that?”

Adrien can hear Plagg eating in his pocket, and is glad that he let his Kwami stash cheese in there before they stumbled upon his father’s lair. He may need to retransform.

Slowly, Adrien shrugs, leaning down to the pile of ash. As smoothly as he can, Adrien says, “Oh, you know. Out doing  _ whatever _ he does when he’s leaving me alone like usual. Oh, look at that! This is really cool looking.” He picks up the brooch and turns it over in his hands. As he does so, a Kwami pops out. 

_ Nooroo _ . 

Smiling at the startled Kwami, Adrien says, “Hey, buddy, you’re alright. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you, okay?”

Nooroo blinks, then realizes that Adrien is sincere. “ _ Thank you _ ,” the Kwami says, and Adrien nods.

“I do have one request. Do you mind helping me once? I’d like to end this fight and let you rest.”

Plagg pops his head out of Adrien’s pocket, and chucks a piece of the cheese to Nooroo. The butterfly quickly inhales it.

Turning, Adrien sees how Nathalie takes a step back in fear, reality striking her as harshly as it did to him. When this is done, Adrien decides, he will go to the Guardian and ask to see him and Ladybug. And he will present the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculi, and everything will be right. Sure, he’ll be down one parent- permanently, but with this prison of a house, when did he ever truly  _ have _ a father?

Never. And that answer is what fuels Adrien to yell, “Plagg, Nooroo, Dark Claws out!”

And  _ Papillon Noir _ rises from the ashes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I feel kind of guilty for doing this to Adrien, so uh....let's come up with some cute headcanons for afterwards!
> 
> Fluffy headcanons because Belle has a guilt problem:  
1\. When Chat goes to give the Miraculi, he and Ladybug can finally reveal their identities. Marinette and Adrien immediately embrace, happy that it's one another. For a sweet, wonderful moment, Adrien can forget his grief and guilt as he feels loved by this amazing girl.  
2\. When Marinette finds out who Hawkmoth was- and what Adrien did- her first thought is to offer him a home with her. She proceeds to drag him to her house, reveals Hawkmoth's identity, and Sabine and Tom immediately agree that no child deserves to live in such a horrible home like that.  
3\. CPS (I don't know what France calls it or if they have this) tries to remove Adrien from the Dupain-Cheng household, as he isn't adopted (Mari and Adrien are dating, no way are they becoming siblings), but Chloe pulls the "my daddy is the mayor" card and somehow (?) that works. Also, Gorilla becomes the official guardian, so they pretend it's just a long sleepover. It's all good.   
4\. Sabine and Tom know that the kids are the heroes of Paris, but they don't mention it bc they know Chat had to cataclysm his own father. They love and support their daughter and future son in silence.   
5\. By Mari's side and with the help of his friends, Adrien gets better.  
And 6. Miraculously (literally), Adrien's mother is revived from her coma. Sightings of a tiny man with a floral shirt were scene near the sight of the miracle, but he states that he was simply lost at the time. No theories have been proven on this medical work of magic, but none will complain about it.
> 
> Okay I feel better <3


	14. Day Fourteen: Fighting Pose

Day Fourteen: Fighting Pose

Standing there, stance defensive and ready to fight, Multimouse looks, well…

Beautiful.

She's absolutely stunning, she's cheeky and mysterious and smart-

Chat Noir looks away, checks burning. 

It looks like he has a type. First Ladybug, then Kagami, now Multimouse....he likes strong woman, okay? And come on, can anyone blame him?

He's just a foolish alley cat who falls too quickly, yet Chat can't feel upset over it. Instead, he follows Multimouse blindly, trusting her to help defeat Kwamibuster. While he, at first, assumed she was Ladybug, she had quickly corrected him before asking for his ring. And then, amazingly, no,  _ miraculously _ , she and the other Kwami (Chat didn't even _ know _ there were so many) helped to save the day. Chat was impressed, and when Multimouse dropped her transformation at the end, not knowing that she wasn't supposed to?

Well, let's just say Adrien was a little red faced the next day when talking to Marinette. And if Nino encouraged him to asks Marinette out, and he did?

Well, that's for him and Marinette to know. On Friday. Under the Eiffel Tower. 

(For once, Chat seems to have the good luck of the duo.)


	15. Day Fifteen: Different Hairstyle

Day Fifteen: Different Hairstyle

The unknown fifth law of the universe is as follows: Nothing is more attractive than Marinette Dupain-Cheng when she changes her hair. 

This is a fundamental fact, one that every person knows, except for Marinette herself. Max has studied this effect, known as the Marineffect, from the day he met her. So far, his list is as follows:

When she was 12, Marinette wore her hair in a headband. That was the day Nino first got a crush on her.

The day she wore a low ponytail, Nathaniel dropped all of his art and turned redder than his hair. He continued to act that way, even after he got Akumatized and rejected in the same week after Hawkmoth's debut.

After Rena Rouge was sighted, Marinette tried to match the high ponytail look. She worked it. Alya was seen drooling as Marinette walked away.

Carapace themed braids with threaded green ribbon left Rose stuttering, and Multimouse buns nearly made Adrien pass out.

The day Marinette let her hair down, Kagami asked her out for lunch. (Everyone was relieved that Marinette didn't understand it was a date, except Kagami of course.)

And the day Marinette came in, hair tousled to match Chat Noir's wild look?

Well, Miss Bustier had trouble getting her class to focus.

So, yes, Marinette's hair is a law of its own.

God only knows what would happen if Marinette were to realize this.


	16. Day Sixteen: Wild

Day Sixteen: Wild

She’s wild. She’s absolutely feral. She’s a sneak, a trickster, a thief.

Yes, Marinette Dupain-Cheng is certainly something.

Adrien watches in silence. The day had been simple enough. He had work to do, he went to the library. He’d been sitting with Tikki, his Kwami, in the back of the room. 

And then she’d slipped in. Adrien had nearly fallen out of his seat, shocked to see her arrive so suddenly. Tikki had zipped into his bag as quickly as possible, and Adrien immediately started coming up with excuses.

But Marinette paid him no mind. Instead, the bluenette stalked past him, eyes glancing around before locking onto- Kim?

She smirks, then resumes her pace. Adrien blushes, watching the gleam in her eyes. She moves with confidence and grace, she’s so sure of herself that she almost reminds him of Lady Noire, his crime fighting partner…

No, that would be ridiculous. Lady Noire is great, but she’s no Marinette. There’s no way his best friend and the love of his life could be the same person, right?

Marinette disappears.

Suddenly, she’s on top of a bookshelf. Adrien isn’t sure how she got up there, or how nobody else has noticed her, but then she’s slipping away again.

Silently, Adrien picks up his stuff and moves into one of the aisles, keeping an eye on her. He pretends to look through the shelves as Marinette freezes and glances around again.

She sees him.

She smirks. “Hey, Adrien,” she says so calmly that Adrien nearly screams. But he’s cool. He’s cool. He’s Chevalier Rouge, he can do this.

“Mari!” He’s too loud! “Sorry. Mari, what are you doing?”

He almost dies from the glee in her expression. “I made a bet with Alix, and I’m about to  win. Watch this, pretty boy.”

_ Oh mon Dieu she called him pretty. _

Adrien doesn’t have time to mentally freak out about this, however, because suddenly Marinette  _ lunges  _ off of the shelf, landing quietly ( _ how did no one hear her?? She’s practically Lady Noire on terms of stealth! _ ) underneath a table. She’s right behind Kim.

Then, calmly, as if she hadn’t been climbing on bookshelves and jumping way too far to somehow not be hurt, Marinette slips up to Kim. Then she reaches down, takes his phone from his pocket, and walks away casually. Kim doesn’t even flinch. 

Adrien knows that he’s gawking when Marinette walks past him. She just winks, then unlocks Kim’s phone.

“You know his password?” Adrien asks, perplexed.

“Oh yeah. I know everyone’s.” She’s nonchalant about it, going into Kim’s contacts. 

“Really? Even  _ mine _ ?” He doubts it. He never told her that, so how would she-

“Wanna make a bet?” She asks, clicking on Alix’s contact (it’s labelled Shortie, Adrien notices). 

Suddenly, Adrien believes her. “No, no I’m good.”

Marinette giggles, a voice comes through the phone.

“I win, Alix,” Marinette says sweetly. Adrien can hear cursing through the phone before Marinette hangs up, looking like the cat who caught the canary.

He’s blushing. He’s absolutely blushing. Oh no now Marinette will know and she’ll be appalled and she’ll reject him and-

Alix storms into the library. Marinette saunters over to her, and holds out her hand. Alix reluctantly hands over ten euros, then takes the phone and brings it back to Kim. Kim blinks as he sees Alix shoving the phone back into his pocket, but doesn’t question it.

Smart.

But Adrien has questions. Well, one in particular…

How did Marinette learn to move like that? How is she so...catlike?

If you listen very closely, you may be able to hear Plagg’s snickers as he watches the lovestruck idiot.


	17. Day Seventeen: Stupid Outfit

Day Seventeen: Stupid Outfit

Marinette blames it all on that  _ stupid outfit. _ If it hadn’t been for that dumb red skirt and black top, she never would have been in this mess.

Seriously, this is the dumbest way a reveal could happen. Of all the idiotic ways for her to find out Chat Noir’s identity (and he hers, because  _ of course  _ it was a double reveal by complete accident!), this had to be the one that did her in.

Honestly, Marinette isn’t sure if she should scream or laugh at the irony of her life.

All she wanted to do was look cute!

~~~~~

“Oh, Tikki,” she had said, like an absolute fool, “I want to wear this skirt, but what top should I wear with it?”

“The white one?” Tikki suggested, pointing to a white shirt with a little flower stitched on. “Anything goes with white!”

Marinette beamed, then frowned. “But what if I trip while holding food? Oh no, Tikki what if I trip while I’m passing  _ Adrien _ , and I make a mess and he realizes that  _ I’m _ a mess and he’s disgusted by me?! He’ll decide he can’t be friends with me and then he’ll never love me and I’ll die by myself with no one but a hamster named Loneliness to keep me company! And then I’ll-”

“Wear the black shirt, then!” Tikki interrupted her chosen with a patient smile. “If you spill anything on it, nobody will notice!”

Marinette lit up, yanked the plain black shirt off of its hanger and pulled it over her head.. “You’re a genius, Tikki! Now, come on, let’s get to school before I’m late!” Quickly, the bluenette had grabbed her stuff and raced out of her house, pigtails flying in the wind.

She’d been so happy, she’d even been on  _ time _ .

And then she’d seen Adrien, and blushed and tripped because of course she had. 

And he reacted. Suddenly, Marinette found herself being caught, held in a perfect dip (how had that even happened, she had fallen  _ forwards _ ) by the blond boy of her dreams. He’d smiled down at her, and the smile was a little too mischievous. But then he spoke.

“I think you just fell for me, my Lady.” 

Then he froze, and whatever jumbled mess that was building up on Marinette’s lips died instantly.

Alya cleared her throat. “You guys okay?” 

Immediately, Marinette jumped, nearly knocking her head into Chat- Adrien’s. This couldn’t be, he couldn’t be-

Then she saw the way his eyes lit up. Oh  _ no _ . 

“Peachy,” Marinette ground out, then grabbed Adrien by the hand. “Alya, we’ll be back.”

She was too busy being annoyed to notice the shocked looks on Alya and Nino’s faces at her sudden composure.

~~~~~

So here Marinette is, on the rooftop with Adrien Agreste, glaring at him while he’s practically vibrating in excitement. Heck, Marinette is pretty sure the boy is purring, which only further confirms that he was right.

“How?” Marinette asks with exasperation.

“Your colors.” He leaned closer, smiling. “Buginette, it’s the colors of your suit. I saw you, and I reacted how I always do when I see you.”

“Puns? Really, chaton?”

Adrien shakes his head, his hair gets messed up in the process. He just looks more chatlike- more like himself. “No. My instinct was to save you,  _ then _ make a pun. I’m a classy cat.”

Oh God. She has to put up with this at school, now, too. She’s going to die.

Adrien leans closer, unaware of her thoughts. “Hey, bugaboo?” He asks, and Marinette nearly jumps.

“Yes, Adrien?” 

“Do you...do you want to go out after school?” He smiles awkwardly. “I- I know it’s always been a no before, so...if not for Chat, then for Adrien?” Then he cringes. “Wait, no, sorry. I know you aren’t really fond of m-”

“What?!” Marinette all but shouts. Okay, no, she definitely shouted that. “Who gave you that idea?”

“Why else would you constantly be so scared around me?” He asks, and Marinette wants to laugh.

“You idiot, chaton, Adrien Agreste is the boy I’ve been rejecting you for.”

His jaw drops. “Me?! I’ve been ...I've been rejected for myself?!”

Marinette nods, feeling her blush return. “It was the first day we met. After you gave me the umbrella, even though I’d been so rude.”

“And I feel in love with you when you yelled at Hawkmoth,” Adrien admits, then steps closer. “So, if that’s the case...my offer still stands.”

“Chaton, I’d love to go out with you.” Kissing his cheek, Marinette giggles when she can feel the purr. 

Then she freezes.

“But first, what on  _ Earth _ are we going to say to Alya?”


	18. Day Eighteen: Playing an Instrument

Day Eighteen: Playing an Instrument

Playing her flute, Volpina stares up at the starry night sky. 

It’s calm. Serene. Beautiful. The blue lights twinkle and shine, filled with mystery and mirth.

Or maybe Volpina is just staring at Marinette, the girl whose balcony she is currently residing on. Maybe she’s just in awe of the girl of her dreams, the unattainable girl who she spends so much time around, yet will never be close to her as a civilian.

Volpina sighs, setting down the flute. Marinette blinks at the sudden absence of noise, looking at the fox heroine.

“Is something wrong?” She asks, observant as usual.

“No,  _ amore mio _ , everything is alright,” Volpina claims, glancing away. Because how can Volpina tell Marinette this? How can she explain the way her heart aches, as if a snake is binding it- or perhaps that is her guilt- every second she is near the bluenette? And what words can describe the way her soul sings whenever her  _ amore _ calls her name. (Her heroine name, of course. Marinette would never call out her real name with so much joy.)

And how could she explain the way she tries to fix her mistakes, but she just falls down into her pit of problems even further. How can she, when Marinette probably hates her, even though she’s been trying to redeem herself. How can she, when explaining to Marinette that her beloved hero friend is a liar- the one thing Marinette hates in this world.

Marinette sighs, then nods. “If you say so, Volpina.” Then she leans back into her chair, discontent. Whether this is Volpina’s fault or not, she is not sure.

“Are  _ you _ alright?” Volpina asks finally. (It’s funny. In another life, she  _ doubts _ she would be willing to give up the spotlight- ever. But the girl before her is an inspiring one.)

Marinette smiles sadly. “No. No, I’m not.”

Volpina finds herself overcome with worry. “Why not? Did something happen? Did- did someone hurt you? Tell me who it is,  _ principessa _ , and I will-”

“Nobody hurt me!” Marinette cuts off with wide eyes and spread hands, as if trying to stop Volpina from going. “Well, not...it’s complicated.”

Volpina is cautious as she sits down on the floor before Marinette. Looking up at the bluenette, she says, “I have all night.”

Marinette blushes, Volpina revels at the sight. “Okay, so...so there’s this girl in my class. And when she first moved to the school, I didn’t like her. She lied to everyone, including the guy I liked! She made up all of these tall tales about how she had gone everywhere and done everything that could be named under the sun. But like a week in, she just...stopped. She stopped coming up with new lies. She claimed it was because she was focusing on her education, and then she stopped bringing up any of her old lies. I was so happy, because it was obvious that she was turning a new leaf!”

Volpina looks away, knowing that the story is about her. “So, what is the problem?”

“She won’t talk to me. She won’t look at me, she won’t speak to me. She runs away like I’m out to hurt her- which I’m not! And it hurts, because while I  _ was _ rude when I confronted her over her lying, I’ve apologized over and over again! But she never listens, she just hides away.” Marinette sighs. “And I just...I just want to be her friend.”

“Have you tried telling her all of this?” Volpina asks, kicking herself internally. Because Marinette  _ has _ apologized, even though her rant was the wake up call she’d needed. Because she’d assumed Marinette’s apologies were forced by a guilty conscience, not by an honest want for friendship.

Marinette locks eyes with Volpina. “I have!” (Volpina feels her eyes widen, she can’t remember this.) “And you know what the worst part is?”

“What is it?”

Marinette beams, and it’s broken and hopeful at the same time, just as confusing and amazing as she is. “She shies away from me in public, but at night, she comes to my balcony and sits with me and, get this-  _ makes me fall in love with her _ ! She flirts and compliments me until I’m a blushing mess. I mean, come on! Talk about mixed signals.”

Volpina falls over. “She- what?”

Marinette’s smile shifts, becoming an awkward one. “Surprise? I knew all along?”

“How did you- why didn’t you- what?” For once, she’s speechless.

“You were the Akuma, Volpina. I saw you with Adrien when Ladybug confronted you. And when Ladybug chose a Fox, and she looked exactly the same...I knew.”

“Does anyone else?” Volpina looks at the buildings around them. “Was it really so obvious?”

“No! Only me. I was the only one who saw the confrontation, so…” She shrugs, shrinking on herself. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything, I’m just.. Why are you like this, Lila? Why do you keep hiding from me? Did I do something wrong?”

Volpina blushes. “You’ve done something, alright.” Marinette gasps. “You’ve been kind, and compassionate, and you called me out when I needed an honest voice. You’ve taught me to be better by being yourself. You showed me friendship when I was a random hero. You were beautiful and perfect- and you made me fall for you.”

Marinette blushes. “You- you mean all of that?”

Volpina smiles, leaning closer to Marinette. “My  _ amore _ , I gave up lying for you.”

No more words leave her lips, but they gain a partner quickly. 


	19. Day Nineteen: Sling

Day Nineteen: Sling

Normally, Adrien Agreste is a trusting young man. Normally he doesn’t question what he’s told, or go against what is said. He prefers to stay out of the way, to stay on the high road and watch everything unfold below. Everything is fine when you’re looking down at the crowd, separating yourself from the issues.

But when Marinette comes in with her arm in a sling, he jumps down. When she slinks into class, eyes down, body tense, Adrien can’t help but be drawn to her, to be concerned.

“What happened, Mari?” He asks, and he knows he sounds worried but he can’t help it. Especially when she jumps back, startled worse than she usually is around him. Especially when she stares at him with wide eyes and a fearful expression. 

It takes her a moment to speak.

“I...fell. I fell! I landed on my arm funny. It’s just a little sprained, it’s fine.” 

It’s...it’s the most put together sentence Marinette has even spoken to him. If anything, Adrien feels unconvinced. He feels like she’s  _ lying _ to him, but why would she? Marinette hates liars, so what would compel her to-

Lila walks in. 

She smirks when she sees Marinette’s sling. Then she quickly changes her expression, donning a worried one as she asks, “Oh, Marinette! Are you okay? Did you get hurt yesterday?”

Marinette  _ flinches _ . That’s all that Adrien needs to piece everything together.

How has he been so blind? How could he tell Marinette to leave Lila alone, to let her lie? How could he let his princess be hurt?

Adrien doesn’t even realize that he steps closer to her, almost in front of her. He doesn’t realize how much he  _ guards _ her. He just glares at the Italian girl and turns to face Marinette, who is starting to respond.

“I fell! That’s it, no big deal. Just a sprain.” Marinette chuckles awkwardly, but the noise dies off when Adrien looks to her.

“It looks like it hurts, though. And that’s your writing hand, right?” She nods, face turning red. “Why don’t we sit together for the day? I can help you with your stuff!”

“Oh, I’m sure she’s fine on her own, Adrien,” Lila starts, and Adrien can see the anger in her eyes. “Marinette is such a strong girl, I doubt she-”

“Did I ask you, Lila?” Adrien cuts her off, then smiles at Marinette again. “Here, we can sit up front. That’ll make it easier when we have to change classrooms. I’ll carry your stuff for you, too.”

He’s not letting his princess out of his sight today. No way in  _ hell _ is he giving Lila a chance to torment her.

Luckily, Marinette follows him without protest, letting him guide her into Nino’s spot and taking her bag off of her shoulders.

(He knows he doesn’t have to, that she can do this herself. But he’ll be damned if he just brushes her off again- he’s let her do too much by herself just because she could.)

Nino walks into the classroom. His jaw drops when he sees Marinette in his spot.

“Sorry, Nino,” Adrien says with a sheepish smile. “I wanted to sit with Marinette today.”

Nino looks at Marinette, then at Alya. He lights up. “I got you, my dude!” Nino says. “Have fun with Nette, man.” He practically races up to Marinette’s spot, and Adrien watches as the couple start whispering excitedly.

Probably about an upcoming date night. They seem to have a lot of those. 

(Adrien is slightly jealous, but that’s irrelevant for the moment.)

Marinette turns around to face Nino. She looks apologetic. “Sorry for taking your seat without permission, Nino.” She reaches up with her sprained hand to gesture, then winces. “I, uh, fell on my wrist and Adrien offered to help me- but I can switch back if you want!” 

For a moment, Adrien worries. Because if she moves back, Alya may try to help Marinette instead. And Alya doesn’t know the truth. Alya may trust Lila alone with her-

“It’s no problem, dudette! I’m happy to chill with Alya for a day or two. Plus, you’ll have more fun up there.” He winks, Adrien isn’t sure why, but Marinette blushes and nods, then turns back around as the bell rings.

Success. 

Miss Bustier comes into the classroom, and Lila starts up again. 

“Miss Bustier!” Lila calls out. “Didn’t we say we were done swapping seats?”

“Yes, Lila,” Miss Bustier responds, pulling out her attendance sheet. 

“So shouldn’t Marinette sit with Alya?”

Adrien clears his throat. “Miss Bustier, Marinette’s dominant wrist is sprained. I offered to help her with lessons, so she doesn’t have any problems, and Nino was willing to swap seats so we don’t take more time to get from class to class, since I’ll be carrying her stuff. I hope this isn’t a problem.” He puts on his most innocent expression as she looks at him.

“I see. Well, I’ll approve of this arrangement for now. Marinette, I do hope you get better.”

Marinette nods frantically. “It’ll be right as rain soon enough, I promise!”

Adrien wonders what she means by that. He hopes that she won’t try to hide her pain, just to stay out of Lila’s radar.

(The thought makes him want to transform. Cataclysm sounds like a fair punishment, right?)

~~~~~

Classes go by quickly. Despite Marinette’s hesitation at first, the two quickly fall into a rhythm. When Marinette struggles to do something with her free hand, Adrien easily reaches over to help. When the bell is just about to ring, Adrien is already reaching down and packing up Marinette’s bag. As they head to Ms. Mendeleiev’s class, Adrien makes sure to block Marinette’s hurt arm from passing students, so that it doesn’t get hurt, and keeps an eye out for a certain lying girl.

When it comes time for lunch, however, there’s a fault in Adrien’s plan that he didn’t expect.

“Come on, Mari, let’s go to lunch!” Grabbing her bag like second nature, Adrien smiles at the bluenette. 

Marinette blushes. “I, uh, bathroom,” she squeaks out.

Right. He can’t exactly...huh.

“We’ll see you in the cafeteria, girl!” Alya says happily. “I’m sure Adrien here will save you the spot right next to him.”

Of course he will. She’s his princess, his closest friend (other than Ladybug, and maybe Nino, of course). He’s going to make everything right for her.

Actually...this works out in his favor.

“Yeah!” Adrien says quickly. “I’ll save you a spot, Mari.”

“Great!” And then she’s gone, racing off, clutching her purse tightly. Adrien leads Alya and Nino to the cafeteria, and they sit at the table right by the door. It only has four seats, so Adrien sets Marinette’s bag on the last one to prevent any  _ unwanted  _ classmates from coming over.

Lila takes the hint, instead wowing the class with another tall tale about Ladybug. Adrien can feel his eye twitching, he stops it.

“So, Adrien,” Alya starts casually, “what’s going on with you and my girl?” She leans closer, eyes narrowed and smile wide. “You’ve been awfully close with her today. Any reason why?”

Adrien nods. “Actually, there is.”

Nino beams. “Bro, really? You gonna make a move?”

Yeah. Yeah, he’ll make a move alright. “Yep. Taking her out once and for all.”

Alya cheers. “Pay up, Nino! Ten euros, right now!”

Nino huffs, but he’s still beaming. “About time, man! We were wondering when you were going to ask Nette out!” He pulls out the money and slips it to his girlfriend.

Wait, ask Marinette out?

“I’m not asking Mari out,” Adrien says slowly. “Who said that?”

Nino pauses, then takes the money away from Alya. “Wait, then why  _ are  _ you all close and all with her?”

Adrien frowns. “Because I’m protecting her.”

“Protecting her? From who?” Alya frowns. “No one is- oh, from her clumsiness? That’s sweet, Adrien.”

“No, from  _ Lila _ .” Adrien scoffs, making his distaste known. Alya and Nino both gape at the words, but Adrien isn’t done. “I knew she was a liar, but I never thought she’d _ hurt  _ Mari.”

“She hurt Nette?” Nino asks, just as Alya nearly shouts, “She’s a liar?!”

Adrien nods. “I didn’t tell you before, because I thought her lies weren’t doing any harm. But on the day she first came to school, she asked me to go to the park with her. There, she told me that she was the holder of the Fox Miraculous, and that she was a better hero than Ladybug! Then Ladybug came and called her out, and Lila was Akumatized into Volpina. I’m still not sure how Marinette found out, but I’ve known since the first day.”

It feels...good, getting that out. Honest.

Alya gasps. “Oh  _ no _ . Nino, that means Marinette was telling us the truth!” She looks to Adrien with wide eyes. “Adrien, she overheard that conversation! She tried to tell us and we brushed it off.” Well, that explains it. “But... but why would Lila hurt her?”

“Lila doesn’t like that Marinette knows the truth, especially when Marinette kept calling her out. When Marinette came in, her excuse sounded like just that- an excuse. And when Lila saw, she smirked-”

“Like she was proud that she’d done it!” Alya fills in, slamming her fists on the table. “I’m going to  _ kill  _ her!”

“Who?” Marinette asks.

“Lila!” Alya turns to Marinette. “Why didn’t you tell me that she sprained your wrist!”

“She- she did?” Marinette blinks slowly, as if confused.

“Adrien told us, girl. Just sit down and  _ I’ll _ deal with her!” Alya huffs, storming off to Lila’s side, Nino angrily following. 

Adrien smiles at Marinette. “It’s okay, Mari. I told them the truth, and everything will be alright. Lila can’t hurt you anym-” She’s gone, darting after Alya. Adrien grabs his and Marinette’s bags, then races after the bluenette.

“So,” Alya says, with crossed arms and a rather obvious temper, “you know  _ all _ of the Miraculous heroes?”

Lila nods, glad to have a bigger audience. “Yep! I even helped Ladybug to choose the newest hero.”

“Viperion?” Alix asks, intrigued. “Man, he was  _ cool _ .”

Adrien rolls his eyes as Lila beams. “Yes, Jacques is the sweetest- oh!” She ducks her head, pretending to be ashamed. “I didn’t mean to say that!” 

Adrien leans forwards. “So, if you know Viperion’s identity, do you know the others?”

Lila giggles. “I really shouldn’t say, but yes! Ladybug trusts me so much that she’s told me who they all are, so that I can tell her if they’re a good fit.”

Adrien doesn’t miss the way that some of his classmates perk up. Seeing the gleam in Max’s eyes, Adrien moves to speak first.

He’s cut off by Marinette, who has a more...chaotic glint in her gaze. “So, you chose Pegasus?”

Lila giggles. “Yes, she was on the train with us. She’s actually a foreigner named Jessica.”

Max blinks and readjusts his glasses. Then, with an odd tone in his voice, he asks, “So, if Jessica was Pegasus, why was Pegasus so clearly  _ male _ ? I saw them during Party Crasher”

Kim nods. “I saw them too! Pegasus was definitely a guy!”

“She’s a crossdresser!”

“As a superhero?” Rose asks. “That’s...odd.”

“And what about Roi Singe?” Kim asks. “Did you choose him?” He beams at Lila, who agrees easily.

“Yes. That’s Victor. He’s very studious normally, he tutors me sometimes when I’m catching up after a trip to Achu or-”

Nino cuts her off. “Who’s Carapace?”

“Oh, that’s Ethan. He’s a bit of a flirt, I wish he’d stop trying to hit on me when I’m Rena- oh no!” She ducks her head again, like a toy that only has two motions. Adrien, for one, hates how repetitive her act is. 

Alya snorts. “ _ You _ were Rena Rouge?” She doesn’t try to hide her disbelief. “But you weren’t even in Paris when Ladybug first had her on the team!”

Lila freezes, then giggles. “The Fox Miraculous has the power of teleportation, too, silly!”

“But that’s Pegasus’s power,” Rose points out with confusion. 

“And the Fox’s!” Lila shouts. “I learned how to use multiple powers! You know how Ladybug has Lucky Charm  _ and  _ the Miraculous Cure? The better the hero, the more powers.”

“But Chat Noir only has Cataclysm, and he’s just as great as Ladybug!” Marinette defends, and Lila snorts.

“Honestly, Ladybug is sick of Chat Noir. He’s easily replaceable, she’s just too nice to get rid of him once and for all!”

Ouch. Even though she’s lying, the words hurt Adrien. 

Marinette glares at Lila. “ _ Excuse  _ me?”

Lila shrugs. “He’s just not very dependable. Ladybug is sick of his flirting, and wants him gone.”

“Chat Noir is the  _ greatest  _ hero in the  _ world _ , and you can’t tell me otherwise! When Ladybug was ready to quit,  _ he  _ was the reason she kept going!  _ He  _ was her inspiration. When Ladybug needs a distraction, he  _ never _ hesitates, even though he ends up dead or mind controlled! When she needs blind faith, he has it in bulk. When she needs help, he’s already reaching an arm out. When Ladybug is at her lowest, Chat Noir is there to lift her higher! And when she needs to take a break and just be  _ human _ ? He’s there with her, goofing around and making dumb bets!”

Adrien can’t help but blush at Marinette’s outburst, but he also can’t help but wonder. Because...because how does she know all of this? Especially the dumb bets.

Adrien holds back a snort, thinking of yesterday, when he and Ladybug had been goofing around on the Notre Dame. 

“ _ Hey, Chat!”  _ Ladybug said. “ _ I’m about to do what the English call a ‘pro gamer move!’ _ ” 

And then she jumped, free falling down the side of the church.

And then she  _ didn’t _ grab her yoyo to catch herself. Instead, like a, well, madly clumsy girl, Ladybug  _ braced one of her arms for impact _ .

She’d gotten up fine, joking that her wrist would be a little sore in the morning. The two had talked for a bit longer, enjoying themselves, and then she’d gone home, swinging her yoyo (albeit awkwardly, as she used the wrong hand).

Wait.

Adrien tunes back into the conversation, where most of his classmates are calling out the flaws in Lila’s bold claim. He looks at Marinette, who is still fuming.

She clutches the sling to her chest, rubbing at the wrist. The same wrist.

“Hey, Mari?” Adrien says, almost in a daze. They’re unheard in the chaos, but the two walk away a bit. “How did you hurt your arm, exactly?”

“I fell.” Marinette shrugs. “I wasn’t really thinking, just kinda landed wrong.”

Adrien takes a risk, jumping without caution. “So, princess, was it what the English would call a ‘pro gamer move’?”

The resounding gasp, smack, and kiss is worth it.

Belatedly, Adrien realizes that this means Lila  _ didn’t _ actually hurt Marinette...oh well, it still worked out in the end!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, I planned on working on one of my other stories as well...I did not plan to write this much in one day...well, I hope it was worth it!


	20. Day Twenty: With Someone They Hate

Day Twenty: With Someone They Hate

Ayano feels her fingers twitching, the urge to reach out and  _ throttle _ Osana Najimi coursing through her veins, filling her body until every nerve screams hatred and venom. She wants to hurt, she wants to harm, she wants to k-

“Ayano?” Osana asks, turning to look at the noirette. “What are you doing here?”

Right. Right, she’s here to...to…

She opens her clenched fist. A cat charm rests on her palm.

Osana gasps, eyes widening. “You found it? I lost it yesterday! And how did you even know it was mine?”

Ayano shrugs, hand still outstretched. “I overheard you yesterday, talking to Raibaru. I decided to look for it after school. It was in the hedge maze.”

Osana takes it slowly, as if it’s a treasure. She pulls out her phone, and a blush covers her cheeks.

“I...thank you, Ayano. But I already bought a new one.” It’s nearly identical, but it’s a silver cat head compared to the orange one. It shines, clearly brand new. 

Ayano clasps her hands together, lest Osana see how they shake. “Maybe you could give it to-”

“Here!” Osana shoves the silver charm into Ayano’s hands, fingers prying open her grip in order to do so, face even darker.

“Raibaru…” Ayano finishes, staring down at the charm. 

“Oh...well, she already has a phone charm! So take it as a thank you!” She’s still reddening, and looks away from Ayano’s blank gaze. “Besides, it’s cute! You have to keep it.”

Ayano palms the charm, eyes it boredly. She feels as if, perhaps, she should think about her next move thoroughly.

She shrugs off the idea and pulls out her phone. “Thanks, Osana.” She connects it and lets the charm dangle.

Osana stammers out a response, then huffs and rushes over to Raibaru, who has been watching from a short distance the whole time. 

Ayano twitches and turns away. She sees her Senpai, sitting by the fountain, reading. He didn’t notice her kindness...of course not.

Ayano doesn’t notice how Osana glances back at her, cheeks still pink and a sparkle in her eyes.

Ayano also doesn’t notice how, when she toys with the cat charm, her hands don’t tremble.


	21. Day Twenty-One: Meeting You

Day Twenty-One: Meeting You

(Alright, so I’m assuming that this prompt means that the characters are meeting  _ me _ , BelleAmant,  _ oui _ ? Well, I’m the writer, so I can’t really be stopped! Cool? Cool.)

Scenario One: Belle Amant goes to Akademi High School, in Yandere Simulator.

It’d be...interesting. I’d be enrolled into the school a few weeks late, my own school having shut down. I’d walk through the halls, nose stuck in a book. I’d accidentally run into dozens of people, and quickly gain the reputation of the clumsy new girl. I wouldn’t notice, too caught up in my stories. 

I’d run into a few people that I probably shouldn’t. Osoro, leader of the delinquents. She just brushes me off and calls me a pest. I do not notice, too caught up in planning out a story. I bump into Taro. He is ecstatic to see that I am reading a favorite of his, and tries to ask me who I am. He just wants to have a friend to freak out over books with.

Like a fool, I agree. I do not notice the noirette staring at me, or the hate filled gaze sent my way.

I run into her next. Ayano glares at me, I assume it’s because I made her fall over. I help her up, apologize, and go to class. There, I start writing out a story. I do not notice that Ayano is in my class. I do not notice that she glares at me, that she wants to hurt me.

The bell rings. I decide to wander through the school. 

I find the Drama Club. Intrigued and excited, I step into the room.

I run into Kizana Sunobu. I do not see how Ayano follows me, how she sees the way I stammer and back up, trying to apologize once more.

I do not see how the wheels turn in her head, or how she grins.

I do not notice how Kizana flirts with me, for I am an oblivious fool.

By the end of the week, Ayano has orchestrated our friendship. By Friday, Kizana confesses her love to me.

And I...just wanted to write my stories. But alas, I am but a fool for lovely drama girls.

~~~~~

Scenario Two: Belle goes to Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s school.

I walk into the school. It’s loud, I notice. I’m not sure if I appreciate the noise, but I carry on. I get lost three times before I find my classroom- it’s Miss Bustier’s.

The teacher is nice, I decide. A bit naive, but kind and patient. She tells me that there is an open seat in the back. I take it. 

An Italian girl sees me and sits beside me. She introduces herself as Lila. She’s gone all over the world, seen all sorts of things and done many amazing things.

I’m not sure how I feel about her words. They sound like just that, words. But who am I to doubt her? I nod along, letting her tell her tales.

I notice a blue haired girl at the front. She stares at me, seems confused and concerned. And when she looks at Lila, her bluebell eyes fill with hatred.

I’m intrigued.

Lunchtime brings the bluenette to my spot. 

“I’m Marinette!” She greets. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Belle,” I respond, and soon we’re joining her friends for lunch. Lila is left behind, talking to a redheaded boy. 

We head to the front of the school, where four people are talking. Two of them lean against each other, the girl telling the boy about her blog. The other boy and girl talk to one another. The boy is relaxed, the girl’s posture is stiff.

Marinette introduces me. We get along, although conversation feels stilted. Kagami is cold, Marinette stumbles around Adrien, and Alya keeps trying to force the conversation into a romantic lighting.

By the end of the day, I’m unsure of how to feel. But I enjoy Marinette’s presence, and we exchange phone numbers.

(Can you tell I’m not good at writing about myself?)


	22. Day Twenty-Two: Ghost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small spoiler for Miracle Queen!!!

Day Twenty-Two: Ghost

It was never supposed to end like this.

She wanted kids. She wanted two sons, a daughter, and a cat- no, a hamster. She wanted her little Emma, Hugo, and Louis. She wanted to be a fashion designer. She wanted to be an  _ inspiration _ . She wanted to be a normal girl with a normal life.

She never wanted  _ this _ .

She never wanted to be Ladybug. She never wanted to have the weight of Paris, scratch that, the weight of the world resting on her shoulders. She was no Atlas, she was no god. She was just Marinette Dupain-Cheng, daughter of two bakers. She was never special, she was never extraordinary. She got through the days, went through week after week with an open mind and a hopeful heart.

And then Tikki came along. And suddenly Marinette was moonlighting as a freaking  _ superhero _ . She was defeating Akumas and saving the day. She was an idol. People of all ages saw her as a role model, looked up to her for protection and safety. They saw her as untouchable, saw her as perfection. Ladybug could do no wrong. Ladybug could make no mistakes.

But she did. Time and time again, Ladybug messed up. She was slow to figure out how to use a Lucky Charm. She got hit-  _ bad _ . She had fights with her partner. She lost her Guardian, and had to take over. She lost the one person who understood her predicament- all because of that stupid Miracle Queen attack. 

And everything got worse. Her classmates got worse, believing a liar over her. She lost hope, lost the fight in her spirit. She let Lila continue, she backed into her corner. Lila never relented.

It affected her as Ladybug. It shouldn’t have, and Marinette did her best to separate her lives, but she couldn’t stop the effects. 

Suddenly, Rena Rouge and Carapace were retired.

Suddenly, Ladybug had no time for Alya’s interviews or questions.

Suddenly, Ladybug was a rougher fighter. Suddenly she was quick and short-tempered. Suddenly she was more ruthless. Suddenly she was using attacks to blow off steam. Suddenly she was all fight and no play, more so than usual.

And it helped. By forgetting her friends and focusing on her foe, Marinette found Hawkmoth’s identity. It was the man she’d suspected in the past: Gabriel Agreste.

Marinette would feel bad for Adrien, but she was long over him. He’d left her to the dogs, after all. 

She assembled her team. Arctic Fox, Belle Abeille, and Chat Noir. She trained them up, told them of the threat, and then they attacked.

It wasn’t supposed to end so awfully. 

It’d been fine. They’d gone all out. Belle was enraged, angry that Hawkmoth was Adrien’s father. Angry that her friend and crush had such an awful father. Arctic was mad, mad that Hawkmoth had terrorized the city for so long. Chat...Chat was  _ pissed _ , and he fought Hawkmoth with everything he had. He screamed at the man clad in purple, told him off for abandoning his son in order to chase after  _ jewelry _ .

Ladybug was determined, determined to end the fight and bring justice for Paris, for the citizens she’d protected for so many years.

And she got it. But it came at a price.

Because as she reached for Hawkmoth’s brooch, believing him to be pinned, he reached back and grabbed something off of a table.

And then he’d stabbed her.

She stole the brooch. She cast her Miraculous Healing.

The knife didn’t move. The blood kept pouring out.

Ladybug shook, Gabriel Agreste stared at her with wide eyes.

“I can fix this,” he muttered, as if surprised with himself. As if disbelieving. “I can...I can…”

The transformation fell as Marinette did. The last thing she heard was screams, and felt her partners reaching for her.

And then she woke up. She woke up, and she saw grief. She woke up, and saw tears and regret and guilt. She woke up, and saw her teammates mourning over her dead body.

She looked at herself. She was a ghost, a void in the world. 

Beside her, Tikki floated. 

“Tikki?”

And the goddess flinched. And turned. And her little eyes widened.

“Marinette?” Tikki asked, surprised. 

Marinette floated closer (it was an odd feeling, she noted). “Tikki, you can see me?”

Tikki started to cry, and flew into Marinette’s chest, sobbing onto her translucent form. “Marinette! Marinette! You’re okay!”

Chat stared up at Tikki, eyes filled with hope. “She’s okay?”

Tikki kept her hold on Marinette’s ghostly figure, and Marinette cupped the Kwami protectively.

“She’s here. She’s here.” Tikki nodded with her words, as if trying to convince herself.

“But how?” Belle asked. 

“Because she was our Guardian. And her job was not complete.” Tikki smiled at Marinette. “You’ll be okay, Marinette.”

Marinette doubted the words. But she was stuck as a ghost, and she was stuck in this realm. So she nodded.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this, but Marinette could never say no to her Tikki.


	23. Day Twenty-Three: As a Magical Girl

Day Twenty-Three: As a Magical Girl

What is it like to be a magical girl? What is it like, to be able to leap across the skyline of Paris? How does it feel to have the wind throw back your hair as you laugh in the setting sun, knowing that life will only get better?

Exhilarating.

It’s freedom and peace and happiness, rolled up into something truly _ miraculous _. It’s heaven on Earth, it’s the quiet storm that brings rainbows and the sun that shines throughout.

To Lila Rossi, being a superheroine is everything. Sure, it’s not quite what she expected, but it’s perfect nonetheless. Details change, but the end result is wonderful.

When she imagined the idea just a mere six months ago, she imagined greatness. She imagined bold actions, loud words and passionate love. She imagined herself as Volpina, the fox-themed heroine that Paris adored. She imagined outdoing Ladybug, becoming the leader of the team. She imagined winning Adrien Agreste’s heart, imagined having a romance like Clark Kent and Lois Lane. He’d be her swooning reporter in no time, she assumed, if only she could be a hero. She’d have the city in her hands, ready to praise her forever.

But life changed, and dreams never quite became reality. Lila found herself with the Bee, and took up the mantle as Beellezza, the newest hero of the team. She found herself working alongside Ladybug, Chat Noir, Rena Rouge, and Carapace. She found herself listening to the spotted heroine, trusting her judgment. She found herself being part of the team, not overshadowing the others. She found herself falling, falling, falling for Ladybug. She found herself in love. Then she fell completely. She became the Lois Lane, with Ladybug getting her out of the way of Akumas, whether she was in or out of costume. She found subtle compliments and teasing thoughts being passed during patrols, she found herself swooning and praising the girl she once claimed to hate.

She found herself.

Becoming Beellezza gave Lila the chance to better herself. She grew past her childish lies, grew past her cruelties and owned up to her mistakes. She befriended her classmates the right way, working hardest to earn Marinette’s trust. Marinette gave it willingly, as kind as Lila hopes to be one day.

She feels magical. She feels amazing and loved and ecstatic for every day to come. The future holds greatness, she knows, and Beellezza will be there to help secure it. Because that is her role, and she will play her part.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beellezza- Beauty in Italian is Bellezza, but I wanted a Bee pun, so here we are! :D


	24. Day Twenty-Four: Dizzy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was inspired by miraculous-of-salt's MDC AU, which you all should check out on tumblr!! :D

Day Twenty-Four: Dizzy

It feels as if life has just turned upside down, and Alya is left dizzy and disconcerted, a heap of confusion left on the floor. She’s lost, an abnormality considering she’s in her classroom and knows where she is. 

But nothing makes sense. It doesn’t make sense.

Because why wouldn’t Marinette tell her this? Why would Marinette hide something so grand, something so phenomenal, so noteworthy, so important to her future career, from Alya? When did Marinette  _ ever _ hide things from Alya?

She didn’t. At least, Alya thought she didn’t. Clearly, Marinette is more than capable of keeping a secret, best friends or not.

(That’s a topic for later, isn’t it?)

Alya never would have found out, if it wasn’t for Nadja Chamack. Because of  _ course _ Nadja was the first to get the scoop on this, considering Marinette babysits for her. It makes sense, it’s the most logical part of this whole conundrum, and yet part of Alya screams at even this. Because Marinette could have gone to Alya, and they could have done an interview! They could have announced this together, instead of leaving Alya in the dark about her closest friend!

(The fact that Alya’s blog is supposed to be about the Miraculous heroes is forgotten in her anger, a trivial detail.)

Alya saw the video while eating breakfast. It was just a normal morning, where she had a few moments to watch videos, maybe add something new to the  _ Ladyblog _ , and then walk to school. She saw the thumbnail of the specific clip, saw Clara Nightingale and Jagged Stone in the same picture, and clicked. She figured it would be something interesting to talk about. Perhaps the two were announcing a song they had co written? That would be fun to tell Marinette.

But Alya was in for a surprise. Because Nadja didn’t talk about the performers, she talked about their clothes. More specifically, their designer. The anonymous ‘MDC,’ who had taken the fashion world by storm.

This part isn’t the surprise. Alya has heard about the recent up and coming fashionista. In fact, she has debated with the class on who the elusive creator may be, and had assumed they were the newest Gabriel Agreste of Paris. Lila ended the debate, admitting that she knew MDC. 

_ “She’s the sweetest, _ ” Lila said, always happy to share secrets with her class. Alya was just as happy to listen, taking notes on her phone for later.  _ “Her name is Marianne. She offered to make me a dress once, but I encouraged her to work on Grace Liu’s wedding dress instead. She  _ did _ ask me for advice on her final design, though!” _

Alya had been ecstatic with the story, and Lila had been willing to tell more. The whole class was in awe, listening to Lila’s tales of the designer, hearing what the two had done together. A few of their friends, well, Rose, even began to ship them.

_ “Marianne sounds like she’s in love with you! Maybe you should ask her out, Lila!”  _

Alya had seen Marinette in the back of the class, making a rather disgusted expression. She brushed off the look, assuming Marinette had eaten something stale. After all, even  _ Alya _ knew Marinette was bi, so there was no way Marinette could be disgusted by the thought of Lila dating a girl. Especially not one as supposedly sweet, caring, and spectacular as MDC.

Maybe Marinette was jealous? 

Apparently not. Because standing on screen, blushing bright red and smiling shyly at the camera, is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the secret designer who’s been hiding under her initials in plain sight.

Alya doesn’t get it. How could Marinette be MDC? How could she hide this? How could she sit there, listening to Lila-

Wait.

Lila said MDC was a girl named Marianne. But Lila wouldn’t lie, would she?

Alya races out of the house, half empty dish forgotten. 

~~~~~

When she gets to school, Miss Bustier’s classroom is crowded. Almost all of her classmates are already there, including Marinette, who ignores the usual students, and those who have shoved their way into the room to see her, in order to talk to Luka and Kagami, who ignore the others just as easily. 

When did Marinette talk to Kagami? How did that become a thing?

The only one who isn’t in the room at this point is Miss Bustier and Lila. Alya feels frustrated. She can’t talk to Marinette because the bluenette is finally talking to those who aren’t from the class, and she can’t talk to Lila because the Italian girl isn’t here. 

It’s not until the warning bell rings that the class becomes emptier, the students from other classes racing to their rooms, and Lila finally enters, smiling sweetly.

“Lila!” It’s not Alya’s voice that shouts the name, but Alix’s, and she sounds  _ pissed _ . “Why did you lie to us?”

Lila blinks, eyes widening. “Lie to you? About what?”

“You said that you knew MDC!” Alix huffs. 

“I do! In fact,” Lila smiles bashfully, sighing, “she asked me out last night. You guys were right, she was in love with me. And how could I say no to Marianne?”

Marinette snorts, and all eyes turn to her. Alya watches her with wide eyes, sees how confident is as Marinette sits on top of her desk and asks, “Really, Lila? When did she ask you out?”

Lila giggles. “It was at nine! We were out, and we took a stroll by the Seine. She had this huge confession planned out for me, although she messed it up a bit. But it’s okay, because I was happy to accept her declaration of love.”

“But Mari was on TV at nine. It was a live broadcast,” Kim points out.

Lila freezes, then shrugs. “It must have been recorded, Kim, and the reporters may have just mislabeled the footage.”

But that’s not how it works? Alya knows this, doesn’t she? And if Marinette is questioning this…and Mari is MDC, not some ‘Marianne’, but Lila isn’t lying….

There’s only one solution that fits all of this together. Lila  _ isn’t _ dating a girl named Marianne, but she  _ is _ dating MDC.

“You two are dating?!” Alya blurts out. “Mari, I thought you liked Adrien!”

Adrien blushes. “Wait, you like  _ me _ ? I thought you were in love with Chat Noir!”

What?

Marinette scoffs. “I’m in love, but it’s not with Lila, Adrien,  _ or _ Chat Noir, thank you very much.”

_ What? _

“Why would we be dating?” Lila asks.

_ WHAT?? _

“Marinette is MDC,” Max says. 

Lila narrows her eyes. “No she isn’t. Marinette, why would you lie about something like that?”

And it clicks. And Alya cringes back, away from Lila.

“She didn’t,” Nino says, pulling up the video on his phone. The video that  _ should _ have been all Alya needed to understand the truth, yet somehow wasn’t enough. 

Nino plays the video. As Lila watches the screen, Alya watches Marinette. Marinette looks...calm. No, that’s not the right word.

Unconcerned. Marinette doesn’t  _ care _ . 

It hurts, for some reason. Seeing Marinette watch Lila’s exposure without so much as a satisfied grin, or a relieved smile, hurts. Because that means Marinette didn’t expect Lila to be called out, didn’t expect anyone to believe her.

How did Alya fail her? How did Alya believe Lila’s lies over Marinette?

She doesn’t know. She doesn’t know, she doesn’t get it, and now she’s left here, sitting beside a liar, her best friend in the world sitting in the back and looking down on the class, disappointed in them and apathetic to their feelings.

It’s all so dizzying.


	25. Day Twenty-Five: As a Superhero

Day Twenty-Five: As a Superhero

Ayano Aishi always had one goal in life, and that was to find her true love. She wanted to find the person who would unlock all of the feelings which lied dormant, tucked away behind a wall that guarded her heart, that locked away her soul and hid her from the joy she could have. She wanted to be happy, to know what happiness even felt like. She wanted to be normal.

She found her true love. The girl seemed to be a normal one. She had eyes the color of a clear sky, and hair the color of the night. She had a smile that beamed like sunshine, and a soul as white as fluffy clouds. She was the perfect picture of beauty and kindness, and when Ayano saw her, the world was colorful and bright.

Yes, Marinette Dupain-Cheng was normal, yet she was the most extraordinary girl Ayano had ever laid eyes on. She made Ayano feel, and she made Ayano feel  _ good _ .

But Ayano soon began to know fear. Because Marinette was wonderful,  _ so _ wonderful that she was bound to attract others. Sure enough, Ayano saw the longing eyes, the way Nino and Nathaniel gazed at the bluenette. Ayano was worried. She couldn’t let her Marinette be with them. 

And then there was bullying. That stupid mayor’s daughter was bullying her Marinette. All Ayano wanted to do was protect Marinette, to keep her from any harm, no matter  _ what _ .

Surprisingly, Ayano didn’t become a murderer like her ancestors before her. No, Ayano ended up finding a...different outlet.

She’d gone home, sent away from school because of some rampaging monster named Stoneheart. She’d worried, wondered what would happen to her dear Marinette...and then she’d seen a strange box on her desk. 

She opened it, and was greeted by a tiny black cat. The cat introduced itself, and explained the situation. She was supposed to be a hero. She was supposed to fight beside some Ladybug girl, and they’d be partners and stop Hawkmoth from terrorizing Paris.

Ayano agreed immediately. Of course she did. Because with the power of destruction on her side, Ayano could finally protect her lovely Marinette. She could...she could woo her. Who wasn’t impressed by a superhero, anyways?

It wasn’t long before Panther, the black cat of Paris, was found visiting a certain bakery. It wasn’t much longer after that that Panther was found  _ kissing _ a certain baker’s daughter.

And, in a few years, Panther was able to drop her mask, and show her beloved her true identity. And Marinette, sweet Marinette, loved her all the more.

And Ayano had her happy ending.


	26. Day Twenty-Six: Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note: For this drabble, Ladybug never chose Carapace and Rena Rouge, the four were teammates since the beginning! That's all you need to know, mes amants <3

Day Twenty-Six: Dark

To be quite honest, there is nothing that Marinette Dupain-Cheng loves more than the dark of night, when the stars are alight and spirits come to play. The whispers of the trees, the song of the breeze, the twinkling stars paint a picture of beauty and silence, and Marinette adores it in the midst of her hectic life.

Between school, designing, and saving the day as Ladybug, it’s rare for the bluenette to find time to relax. But the night calls to her, and she succumbs to it every single time.

She’s always been a night owl, what does one more night mean amongst years of stargazing?

The view is magnificent in Paris, if you pretend there’s no pollution, and there’s no better spot to stare at the sky than atop a random building. Ladybug stretches out, laying on a rooftop as she stares at the moon.

“I wish I could fly up there,” Ladybug muses to herself. “Tikki, think I could get some wings? Is that a power up we have?” There’s no response, but Ladybug didn’t expect one. 

She doesn’t expect to hear footsteps behind her, but she doesn’t bother to check. One of her partners, no doubt.

“Ladybug,” Carapace greets calmly, slipping down to lay beside her. “Nice night, huh?”

“Yeah.” She smiles, knowing that he can’t see it. “How has your week been?”

“Stressful.” He snorts at his own response. “Cause, you know, having to save Paris _ and _ do homework? Man, I thought I was sleep deprived before!”

Ladybug giggles. “Who needs sleep when there’s coffee?”

“I think my blood is just energy drinks. I drank five before I got to school.”

“Why don’t you go home and sleep, then?” Ladybug glances over to him, concerned for her teammate and friend. “Staying up even longer is only going to deprive you of no sleep.”

“And miss out on talking to you? Nah, dude, I’ll be fine.” He gives her that grin, that dorky little smile that makes Ladybug’s heart beat a tiny bit faster. “But what about you? You’re always out and about, staring at the sky.”

“I love the dark,” Ladybug admits sheepishly. “It’s just so...serene, you know?”

Carapace locks eyes with her, and the way he looks at her...it’s clear. “Yeah, yeah I do.”

They look away from each other then, content to let the silence wash over them, protecting them like a sweet blanket of happiness and warmth. Soon, they know, Rena Rouge and Chat Noir will show up, bounding around and bouncing with energy. Soon, they know, the serenity will be shattered to dust, just like it always is. But for the moment, they relax. For the moment, it is just the two of them, with only the dark for company.


	27. Day Twenty-Seven: Sidekick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is based off of @zoe-oneesama's Scarlet Lady AU, you guys should check it out! <3

Day Twenty-Seven: Sidekick

“Of _ course _ I’ll be here to save the day,” Scarlet Lady says, tossing her hair behind her back dramatically. “I have to clean up after my mangy sidekick, after all.”

_ Sidekick, huh? _

Chat Noir huffs, ring beeping loudly. He’ll deal with this later.

With this in mind, he hops away, searching for a place to detransform.

~~~~~

Later doesn’t come quickly. No, later is pushed off. Battle after battle, Chat Noir is stuck alone, fighting battles meant for two. He fights and is forgotten, fights to save Paris, only for Scarlet Lady to be adored. He fights and hurts and gets battered and bruised, and only one person even recognizes how much he works to keep Paris from becoming a chaotic mess.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng. From the very first fight, she’s been on the sidelines, cheering him on. Sure, she has a penchant for getting in the way of battles, but Adrien knows it’s because she’s truly a hero. She stands up for what’s right, she doesn’t let her lack of powers keep her from fighting against evil.

She’s the Ladybug Chat wishes he could have. Someone he could call a partner. But no, instead he gets _ Scarlet Lady _.

Yet exhaustion feels okay when Adrien walks into class and sees her smile. The weight on his shoulders seems a little more bearable whenever she offers him coffee or a croissant, or just insults Scarlet Lady. 

Yeah, later can be pushed off, because Marinette will wait beside him.

~~~~~

Chat Noir is used to being called a sidekick. For months, he’s dealt with battles alone, taken all of the pain and suffering alone, saved the day and been tossed aside alone. He’s exhausted, he’s beaten down and he doesn’t know how to get back up.

But just as he thinks the world can’t get better, it does. Because Marigold steps out of the shadows, and she protects him. She holds out a hand to help him. Together, they beat the Akuma. Together, they save the day. And the workload lessens. The struggle of every battle diminishes when it’s doled out between two heroes. 

Finally, later comes. It’s after a pretty easy Akuma battle (or is he just getting better at working with Marigold?) and neither Chat nor Marigold used their powers. The reporters come, just like usual, and Chat doesn’t run.

But as he sees them coming, he notices something else. The victim, a young boy, maybe nine, sitting on the floor, looking sad and scared.

Chat pushes later away, going to comfort the kid. Marigold follows suit.

“Are you okay?” Chat asks, kneeling down. “You seemed rather upset, did something happen?”

The boy sniffles. “I, I failed a math test. My mom is gonna ground me for sure, and then my friends aren’t gonna talk to me because I can’t play games and I’ll be lonely and, and-”

“Hey,” Marigold coos, pulling the boy into a loose hug. “It’ll be alright. Your friends will understand, and I’m sure your mom will, too. Everyone has bad days, you know?”

“Even you?” He looks up at her with shock, and Marigold giggles. It sounds like bells to Chat.

“Even me. Here, I’ll even let you in on a little secret, but you can’t tell anyone, okay?” When the boy nods, Marigold whispers conspiratorially. “I’m _ awful _ at physics.”

“Really?!” He gasps, as if the idea is astounding.

“Really. But my parents understand, because I’m getting tutored. I have the sweetest friend, and he’s a genius. He teaches me about physics, and I’m doing better. Do you have a friend who’s good at math?”

The boy nods. “Alice! She’s really smart.”

“Maybe you could ask her for advice, then!” She grins. “And if not, I’m sure you could ask your parents for help.”

Chat nods with Marigold, then adds, “And if they won’t teach you, come hunt me down. I’m have you know I’m the _ purr _fect math teacher!”

The boy giggles. “Thank you!”

“Of course. Now, little guy, do you need help getting home? I can give you a lift,” Chat offers, and the boy lights up.

“Yeah!” 

So Chat leaves later behind, leaping away with the boy on his back. And, a short conversation later, little Thomas is hugging his parents, who promise to help him with math. 

~~~~~

Later passes without Chat noticing. Time after time, he chooses comforting the victim over calling out Scarlet. Because that’s why he’s a hero. It’s not for recognition, it’s to help people. That’s why Marigold, too, has risen from wherever she was to fight by his side. It’s not about proving that he’s a partner, not a sidekick, because only he and Marigold need to know that.

But it’s this approach that causes later to spark. It’s this decision that proves the truth for all of Paris.

It sneaks up on him. Never one for checking the news, he doesn’t see the exponentially increasing number of articles on him and Marigold, doesn’t see the shift in public opinion, doesn’t know how he and Marigold become favored over the once beloved spotted ‘heroine.’

Then he goes to school, and hears something that shocks him.

“You’re changing the name of the Scarblog?” Marinette asks Alya, right as Adrien enters the room.

Alya nods, glaring at her phone as she types rapidly. “Yeah. It’s about time. Scarlet Lady is _ awful _, I can’t believe I didn’t notice earlier!”

Adrien can’t believe it. Finally, someone noticed other than Marinette! Finally, someone else understands. It feels like Christmas, it feels like-

“Yeah, she _ sucks _,” Alix adds in.

Forget Christmas, Adrien is in heaven! 

Quickly, all of his class is chiming in, insults thrown at the girl who only knows how to care about herself. Marinette seems just as ecstatic over the words being spoken, agreeing vehemently. 

Then Chloé walks in, just as Kim shouts, “The only heroes we need are Chat Noir and Marigold!”

Adrien hears his old friend before he even sees her.

“What did you just say?!” She shouts, and Adrien jumps.

“If you must know, Chloé,” Max starts, adjusting his glasses, “we’ve noticed the trends of the battles. Statistically speaking, the chance of Scarlet Lady _ actually _ contributing to the battle and fighting the Akuma is zero point zero zero zero zero zero zero one percent. There has been _ one _ battle where Scarlet Lady was said to have taken initiative, and that was during Copycat. According to Marinette, who was the only witness present, Scarlet Lady did not even act until Marinette mentioned that there would be two Chat Noirs present, with one of them adoring Scarlet Lady.” 

Chloé scoffs. “As if Dupain-Cheng is a reliable source.”

“She is, actually, our _ most _ reliable source, having been involved in almost every single Akuma attack. But if her alibi for the Copycat attack is unusable, as nobody else can attest to it, other than Chat Noir and Scarlet Lady, then Scarlet Lady has _ never _ been useful, except for her Miraculous Cure.”

Rose gasps. “Marinette, you could’ve been Scarlet Lady! You would be an amazing hero!”

Chloé turns her glare on the petite blonde. “Dupain-Cheng could _ never _ be as great as Scarlet Lady! She’s too clumsy and foolish to be a hero.” 

Adrien glares at Chloé. “Marinette is greater than Scarlet Lady could _ ever _ be, if she could manage to get her head out of her ass! Marinette does everything she can to help the heroes, she puts herself in danger to keep others safe. She already is a hero, which is more than I can say for Scarlet.”

“Guys, I-” Marinette tries to cut in, but Chloé interrupts.

“If it wasn’t for Scarlet, you’d all be surrounded by that stupid _ sidekick’s _ messes! The city would be in ruins! I don’t see Marigold fixing _ that _.”

Adrien freezes, and he sees how Marinette stiffens behind him. Because nobody uses that tone when referring to him as a sidekick, no one except _ Scarlet Lady _.

He cringes, remembering every single time Scarlet tried to claim his civilian identity was her boyfriend. Now it makes sense. Gross.

Marinette, behind him, becomes enraged. “You know what, Chloé?!” She shouts, stomping forwards. “Chat Noir is the greatest hero that will _ ever _ live, and you should feel blessed to know that he protects everyone! He puts his life on the line so that we can be safe, and he fought alone for months because his partner was too busy putting on lipstick! We never deserved Chat Noir, but god _ damn _do we need him if we’re stuck with someone like Scarlet as our only other option.”

“And Marigold has more talent in one strand of hair than Scarlet has in her whole body!” Adrien shouts. “She should’ve become Scarlet Lady, not the incompetent idiot who put on the mask! In fact, I _ doubt _ Scarlet was meant to be the hero. I bet she got the Miraculous by taking it from the rightful owner!”

From the way Chloé winces, Adrien knows that he’s right. Chloé stole the Miraculous, but who would she have...oh mon Dieu.

She stole from Marinette, didn’t she? Marinette, the girl who is a _ real _ hero. The girl who is creative and brave and puts her life on the line to protect others. Marinette, the girl who always supported Chat Noir, the girl who always knew how _ awful _ Scarlet Lady is. 

Adrien feels enraged by the love of his life. He wants to reach out and snatch the earrings from Chloé, wants to hand them to Marinette because she’s their rightful owner-

But he can’t. At least, not right now.

Sitting down for class as the bell rings, Adrien has never been more excited for an Akuma to attack. He can’t wait for later to come again.

~~~~~

Luckily for him, an Akuma attacks that night. Even _ more _ luckily, the Akuma holds nothing but hatred in her heart for Scarlet Lady. She calls Scarlet incompetent, a sorry excuse of a hero. She despises the girl, and wants to take the earrings so _ she _ can be a hero instead.

Chat Noir doesn’t intervene. He slips into the shadows, catching Marigold before she reaches the fight. He moves to whisper what he has learned of Scarlet, but Marigold speaks first.

“She’s in my class,” Marigold whispers angrily. “I hate her.”

Chat blinks at the information. Marigold is in Chloé’s class…

“Marinette?” He whispers, and she blanches.

“I, uh-” She sighs. “God damnit. How did _ that _give it away?”

“Because I’m in her class,” Chat admits, and watches Marigold blush as she understands, “and I just realized it today.”

“It was the sidekick comment, wasn’t it?” She asks, and Chat nods. “So what’s the plan, partner?”

“We sit back and let her fight.” He does as he says, leaning against the chimney of the rooftop. “And when Scarlet Lass defeats Scarlet Lady, we swoop in.”

“I like the sound of this.” She smirks, and so does Chat.

The fight doesn’t last more than a minute. Scarlet Lady, panicking, calls for her Lucky Charm, but has no idea how to use it. She screams at Chat and Marigold, demands that they help her. They smile.

“Go off, Scarlet Lass!” Marigold cheers. “Show her what’s for!”

Scarlet Lass seems confused, then smiles sadistically. “As you wish, my future teammates!” 

The earrings are off of Chloé Bourgeois in seconds. And then the heroes of Paris, the _ real _ heroes of Paris, leap into action. 

“Venom!” Marigold shouts, and stuns Scarlet Lass. 

“Thank you!” Chat says sweetly, taking the earrings from the Akuma. 

Chloé huffs. “Good job, now give me my earrings so I can save the day.” She doesn’t expect to look up and be met by two glares.

“No.” Chat toys with the earrings, eyes still locked onto hers. “I don’t think I will.”

Chloé gasps. “What do you mean, ‘no?’ Those are _ mine _ , you stupid sidekick, return them at _ once _!”

Marigold hums. “Now here’s the thing, Bourgeois. Your identity is compromised. Even if you _ were _ a good superhero, which you weren’t, we couldn’t let you continue. Because now Hawky knows your identity, so he could take the earrings at any time. So, no. Your reign of terror is over.”

She huffs. “Oh yeah? Well, good luck saving the day! You can’t fix damage without me.”

“No, we can’t fix damage without a Ladybug,” Chat corrects her, then turns to Marigold. “So, Marigold, I think it’s time we swap your yellow for red.”

Marigold’s eyes widen for a second, and then she nods. “I think you’re right, _ partner _.” She pins the earrings to her ears, and Tikki appears before them. “Hey, Tikki, right? I need your help to save the day, if that’s alright?”

Tikki looks close to tears, nodding frantically. “Of course, Marigold! My transformation phrase is ‘spots on.’” 

Marigold smiles. “Alright! Tikki, spots on! Pollen, buzz off!” A flash of pink and yellow covers Chat’s partner, and when it dies down, she’s changed. Gone is the yellow and black, now Marigold wears red and black. The spots resemble Scarlet’s, but she keeps the more sensible aspects of her Bee ensemble (cough no heels cough) on her person. Spinning her new yoyo, she says, “Let’s finish this, kitty.”

“Got it!” Chat breaks Scarlet Lass’s Akumatized object, a charm of Scarlet Lady, and the Akuma flies out. Marigold catches it immediately, then purifies it.

Once the damage has been fixed, Marigold turns to Chat. “Pound it!” She cries, just as she usually does. Then she asks, “Want to go get ice cream?”

Chat Noir blushes. “Of course, Marigo-”

“Ladybug,” she corrects, sweet and simple. “Let’s go with Ladybug.” 

“Alright, Ladybug, let’s go have some ice cream. Think Andre is still around at this time of night?”

“I’m sure he’ll make an exception for a new hero!” Ladybug jokes, and the two leap away, leaving Chloé behind with a still-angry ex fan, who relishes the chance to insult the ‘hero'.

Yes, later feels wonderful.


	28. Day Twenty-Eight: Ride

Day Twenty-Eight: Ride

Marinette blinks at Chat Noir, shock evident. “You want me to  _ what _ ?”

Chat beams at her, innocent as always. “Come on, Princess! It’s just a piggy back ride.”

“Across  _ Paris _ ? In the middle of the day?!” I mean, come on, she knew he was foolish but this was just, well, idiotic! “Don’t you think people will find it odd that a hero of Paris is carrying some random girl?”

“But you’re not random? You’re my princess!” Chat insists. “Are you afraid of heights?”

“Afraid of falling, maybe, but not heights.”

“I won’t let you fall!” His voice is pleading, and his eyes widen.

“Why do you want me to agree, anyways?”

He shrugs, looking away. “I just...I realized that I get something no one else does, you know? I get to soar across Paris, leap across rooftops, whenever I want. I can go anywhere I please. And I wanted to show that to you, to open my view and let your eyes see the same. I know you’d appreciate it as much as I do, if not more.”

The words are touching, and Marinette feels her face heat up. It’s so thoughtful, and Chat just wants to show her the amazing sights that he and Ladybug see, not knowing that she’s his partner that gets the same views with the same freedom.

It’s heartwarming, and Marinette steps forwards. “Alright,” she concedes, “as long as you’re careful.”

He perks up, and quickly turns so she can climb onto his back. Once she’s situated, he leaps, flying through the air.

The view is breathtaking, when you’re not the one moving through the air. There’s a different sense of wonder, knowing that your closest friend just wants to share a part of themselves with you. 

Marinette feels her heartbeat pick up, and tells herself it’s just the thrill of the ride.


	29. Day Twenty-Nine: Injured

Day Twenty-Nine: Injured

Ayano didn’t think this through, huh?

“ _ Fuck _ ,” she hisses under her breath, staring at the red that blossoms, blooming out of her stomach.

That’ll leave a stain on her shirt, that’s for sure.

But, seriously? How was she supposed to expect  _ that _ ! She never thought Amai would defend herself, that Amai would turn a knife on  _ her _ -

Okay,  _ maybe _ Ayano should have waited until Amai was out of the kitchen, or at the very least not chopping stuff up, but it was perfect timing! Amai was alone, how often did that happen? Especially once she met Senpai and kept dragging him back in-

Senpai. Oh no Senpai might see her bleeding, and wonder what happened and Ayano can’t talk to him yet, she can’t.

Ayano looks to Amai’s body. She killed the girl rather cleanly, a simple stab to the heart had done the trick. Amai has a similar red bloom staining her shirt. 

Ayano hears footsteps. She panics, looking for a way to leave. She tries to rush for the exit, but she can’t move without searing pain shooting through her.

Wait. She has an idea. 

The door slams open just as Ayano gets on the floor, shaking Amai’s body and forcing tears out of her eyes. 

“Amai! Amai! Wake up!” She screams out, and the person- it’s Osana, oh god it’s  _ Osana  _ why did she spare that stupid tsundere??? - gasps.

“Aya?” Osana asks, voice shaking. “What happened?!”

Ayano looks up, rubbing at her eyes. “I came in here to say hi to Amai! And she, she was acting all weird! She was cutting stuff up and threatening me because I,” she lets out a sob, fake as Musume’s personality, “I like Senpai and she does too!”

Osana stares at Amai’s corpse. “So she...attacked you?”

Ayano nods quickly, then winces, reaching for her stomach. God  _ damn  _ it hurts. “She...she started talking about how  _ she deserved him _ and that I was in her way. And then she, she lunged at me. And she stabbed at me but I backed away, and she got me here instead of any higher.” Ayano looks down at Amai, frowning. “She..she tried again. And I couldn’t move, it hurt too much, Osana it  _ hurts _ , and I reacted. I tried to knock the knife out of her hand, to wrench it away, to do  _ something _ . And, oh God Osana it was awful!”

“Hey, hey,” Osana tries to soothe Ayano, reaching down and hugging Ayano, kneeling beside the corpse. “You’re fine. You’re going to be fine.”

“She turned the knife on herself,” Ayano whispers. “She stabbed herself and she collapsed and I...is this my fault?”

“No! Never! Aya, don’t believe that for a second!” Osana defends her instantly, and Ayano has to force the smirk off of her face before it even appears. 

Now she has someone to testify for her. Wonderful.

Ayano breaks out more tears, distracting Osana. In moments, Osana is leading her to find the nurse, and then goes to report the attempted murder and suicide. 

By the time Ayano leaves, Osana is firmly attached to her hip. She comforts Ayano, letting the noirette lean against her for support as they slowly make their way to Ayano’s home. Ayano thanks the girl for her help, Osana doesn’t realize just how useful she’s become.

It seems that Ayano was smart, leaving the girl alive. Now, what to do next?


	30. Day Thirty: Catch

Day Thirty: Catch

Lila hates everything. She loathes life, detests the circumstances that lead to this mistake. She despises the stupidity of this city, of the people living in Paris-

And God  _ damn  _ does she hate Akumas right now. Because now she’s stuck in the back of her classroom, where  _ Marinette  _ should have been, listening to her class praise  _ Marinette _ . For saving  _ her _ .

Seriously, Hawkmoth, this wasn’t a part of the deal. Seeing her enemy being praised for helping her- for saving her life?! Not cool. In the words of the resident Queen Bee, this is ridiculous, utterly  _ ridiculous _ .

Everything was going smoothly, too! Lila had gone to school, spun a few tall tales over the things she’d done over the weekend.

_ “I’m sorry I couldn’t hang out with you this weekend, Alya,” she said, the perfect picture of innocence and regret. “But Prince Ali called me, and I had to join in on a video conference that lasted all day and all night. I passed out the moment he hung up!” _

_ _ _ Alya had grinned, nodding along with understanding. “No sweat, girl! I get it. Nino is the same with Adrien, who has to ditch at the last second because of his schedule.” _

_ _ _ Lila  _ liked  _ being compared to Adrien, even if it was for false reasons. It made them seem closer, more connected. She giggled. “You’re such a good friend, Alya! Maybe all four of us should hang out, the next time Adrien is free.” _

_ _ _ Alya nodded, but Lila saw hesitation. “Yeah. I’ll invite Marinette, too!” _

_ _ _ Lila froze. “Oh, I...I don’t think she likes me very much.” She played innocent, the perfect picture of helplessness and confusion. “I’m not sure why, but she’s always rude whenever we speak.” _

_ _ _ Alya huffed at that. “Don’t worry about it. She’s just jealous, but I’ll talk to her.” _

_ _ _ Lila held back a smirk, knowing that the conversation would go nowhere. “Thank you, Alya! I really hope we can get along, she seems like a really sweet girl!”  _

_ _ All she wanted to do was paint herself in a better light! Complimenting Marinette, even though she was claiming the girl hated her, made her look sweet! She didn’t want  _ this _ !

Class had just started, and then it was ending. Suddenly an Akuma was rampaging, angry about a pop quiz they hadn’t studied for. Alya chased after it, phone at the ready, already recording. The other students tried to evacuate, tried to find a hiding place.

Lila ran to the roof. She knew the others were racing to the entrance, racing to the open courtyard. Surely, the Akuma would, too.

She was wrong. Instead of going down, the Akuma went up. He stormed his way to the roof, blocking Lila’s exit. Honestly, it was almost laughable how high the tensions were. She was on the roof, alone, stuck with a monster heading her way and no way out. The only option she had was to, ugh, wait for Ladybug or Chat Noir.

Looking down at the courtyard, Lila saw her whole class staring at her. Alya was  _ recording her _ . 

Lila turned to the Akuma with a smirk. At least, this way, she could ‘prove’ her friendship with Ladybug when the heroine saves her personally. Not like anyone asked for proof, other than Marinette.

The Akuma stepped closer, and Lila tried to remain calm. ‘ _ It’s fine, _ ’ Lila told herself, ‘ _ Hawkmoth won’t let you get hurt, you’re too valuable. _ ’

But the Akuma didn’t stop. Instead, he tried to grab her. ‘Tried’ being the key word, because she attempted to dodge at the same time. And she did, by stepping backwards.

Right off of the roof.

Panic consumed Lila as she fell, thoughts running a mile a minute. The ground was coming closer, and Lila didn’t see the heroes where  _ were  _ they-

A pair of arms caught her. Lila shut her eyes as the impact hit her, and she could feel her savior stumble from the force of Lila’s abrupt stop. The hands that grabbed her are soft and small.

_ Ladybug _ . Lila realized, and she couldn’t wait to shove this in Marinette’s face.

But when she opened her eyes, Marinette was the one looking down at her. She searched Lila’s face for something.

Oh, she spoke. 

“What?” Lila asked.

“Are you okay?” Marinette asked again. “Did he hurt you?”

Lila sputtered, and then she noticed that Marinette was walking...while holding her bridal style. She seemed to be at ease, carrying her like Lila weighed nothing at all.

Maybe it  _ isn’t _ a good idea to provoke Marinette, after all.

Lila looked away, looked at the crowd who part like the Red Sea. “I’m fine.”

“That’s good. Why don’t you stay hidden? Actually?” She turned to face the crowd, and Lila had never seen Marinette so confident, so steady in her way. “All of you! Get out of here! You’re going to get hurt if you stick around!”

The students rushed out after her, finally going to hide. Marinette set Lila down carefully, then turned and walked away.

Lila, stunned, hadn’t thought to follow her.

An hour later, and here we are now. The battle is over, Ladybug and Chat Noir saved the day once again. And Alya is leading the ‘we love Marinette’ talk, praising her. Apparently, when Lila fell, Marinette had shoved through the crowd and jumped off of a table in order to intercept Lila’s falling body. 

Lila huffs, sitting in the back. This isn’t how things are supposed to go.

But it gets worse. Because when lunch time arrives, Marinette goes home, and  _ Adrien  _ goes with her. Lila tries to follow, because she can’t just sit by and let Marinette win, but Alya intercepts her, and misunderstands her motives.

“Wow, you really fell for her, huh?” Alya asks. Beside her, Nino chuckles.

“Good one, babe,” He comments, and Alya smiles. It’s disgusting.

“What do you mean?” Lila asks, honestly confused. Because what on Earth are they talking about?

“I saw your eyes.” Alya shrugs. “They sure do linger on my girl a lot, don’t they?”

Nino nudges Alya. “Hey, play nice.” Turning to Lila, he smiles and says, “Don’t worry, we all end up like that. Alya and I bonded over our crush.”

“And Nathaniel liked her for  _ years _ . I think he still does.”

“Oh he does,” Marc says as he and the redhead pass by. “He just likes me more.”

Nathaniel blushes, eyes stuck to the ground. 

“I- what?” Lila doesn’t get it, do they really think-

“And Marinette thought you were  _ her _ competition!” Alya snorts. “Oh mon Dieu this is great. Lila, I gotta warn you. Mari is _ crazy _ into Adrien, you have to up your game if you want her attention.”

“But I’m not-”

Alya just smiles placatingly. “Don’t worry, Lila, we don’t judge. It’s hard to  _ not _ love Marinette, you know? I mean, look at her! She’s gorgeous.”

“And, like, the kindest person you could ever meet.” Nino leans against Alya calmly, as if the two aren’t admitting that they’re both interested in another girl.

Lila tries to cut in again. “Really, guys, I think you misunderstood!”

Alya brushes the words off. “Seriously, that girl is going places. She’s going to take over the fashion world, I just know it. I mean, Jagged Stone  _ and  _ Clara Nightingale have asked for commissions, and Gabriel Agreste approves of her designs!” She beams. “Lila, the two of you could change the world together, I just know it! You’d be the ultimate power couple.”

Lila freezes. She starts to think about Alya’s words. The blogger is right. Marinette is influential, she’s pretty, and she’d do anything for the person she loves. And if Lila could make Marientte feel that way…

‘ _ I suppose Marinette is a pretty good  _ catch,’ Lila thinks to herself, and her decision is final.

She  _ will _ have Marinette, enemies or not. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God I'm a sucker for Lilanette...


	31. Day Thirty-One: Ripe

Day Thirty-One: Ripe

Marinette couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t believe that Chat Noir, her mangy alley cat, her chaton, her beloved partner who moonlighted as a hero by her side, was Adrien Agreste. 

She couldn’t, she wouldn’t-

But the evidence was clear as day, staring her in the face. The smile, the golden color, the physical resemblance was just too much.

Because how on Earth could there possibly be  _ two _ of the Mr. Banana costume? No, this couldn’t be coincidence.

Adrien chuckles, rubbing his neck as he sees her aghast expression. “Yeah, I kinda...took that,” He admits. “You remember the uh, the Kwamibuster fight?” 

Marinette nods. How could she  _ ever _ forget that?! Chat nearly found out her identity.

And now she knows his. Great. Perfect 

“Well, it was on the ground, so I just, you know, grabbed it?” He’s awful at lying, Marinette realizes. 

“So you stole,” She says bluntly, a bit of her nervousness dying away.

If he was in his costume, Marinette  _ knows _ his leather cat ears would’ve jolted in alarm. “No! No no no! I planned to return it! I just wanted to get it clean and haven’t had the time!”

“So it’s been in your closet this whole time?” Marinette asks, looking back at the overripe excuse of a banana costume. The soulless eyes stare back at her.

“Yes! Absolutely yes!”

She snorts. “Then how did Chat Noir have it during Feast?”

Adrien starts rambling, and it’s nice to know that her partner can be flustered, too. “I uh, I let him borrow it! He said he needed a costume so I- wait.” He stares at her. “How do you know about that? There were only five people who saw that, and one of them was-” He gasps. “ _ Ladybug _ ?!?”

She yelps. “Me? Ladybug? God no. I was on my balcony, silly kitty.”

“WAIT YOU KNOW?!” He screams, then shuts his mouth. “Wait, you were on your balcony? But I thought you were Ladybug.”

“I was Multimouse, Chat, you saw me.” 

He slumps visibly, and Marinette wishes she could tell him the truth. Plagg peeks out from Adrien’s shirt pocket, erasing any doubts Marinette could possibly have.

“Hello, Plagg,” she greets, and Adrien stares at Plagg.

“Hey, wait!” He says as Plagg flies over to Marinette. “How do you two-”

“Met her in that Kwami vacuum thingy. She’s cool, Adrien.” Plagg leans against Marinette, who struggles not to laugh.

Adrien smiles. “Yeah, she is.”  _ And  _ now Marinette is blushing. Luckily, Adrien’s mind veers to a different topic, which is: “Oh shit. Ladybug is gonna kill me now.”

Great. Now Marinette has to navigate  _ this _ conversation. She never expected to be in this situation, knowing Chat’s identity.

And it’s all because of a  _ banana costume. Of course _ it is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap! 31 days done, and Inktober is over. Happy Halloween, everyone!! <3


End file.
